Electronic device including flexible display

ABSTRACT

An example electronic device may comprise a first housing including a first surface and a second surface facing in a direction opposite the first surface, a second housing including a third surface and a fourth surface facing in a direction opposite the third surface, a hinge disposed between the first housing and the second housing configured to provide rotational motion between the first housing and the second housing, and a flexible display disposed from the first surface of the first housing across the hinge to the third surface of the second housing, at least part of the flexible display configured to form a curved surface as the hinge structure is folded, wherein the hinge may include dual-axis hinges configured to provide a first rotational axis allowing the first housing to rotate about the second housing and a second rotational axis allowing the second housing to rotate about the first housing and slides coupled with the first housing and the second housing and configured to provide sliding motion perpendicular to a lengthwise direction of the first housing and the second housing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.17/008,474, filed Aug. 31, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/966,364, filed on Apr. 30, 2018, now U.S. Pat.No. 10,827,633, which claims priority to Korean Patent Application10-2017-0056440, filed on May 2, 2017. The contents of each of theseapplications are incorporated herein in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to electronic devices, and for example,to electronic devices with a foldable flexible display on the outersurface thereof.

DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART

Advancing information communication and semiconductor technologiesaccelerate the spread and use of various electronic devices. Inparticular, recent electronic devices are being developed to carry outcommunication while being carried.

The term “electronic device” may mean a device performing a particularfunction according to its equipped program, such as a home appliance, anelectronic scheduler, a portable multimedia player, a mobilecommunication terminal, a tablet PC, a video/sound device, a desktop PCor laptop computer, a navigation for automobile, etc. For example,electronic devices may output stored information as voices or images. Aselectronic devices are highly integrated, and high-speed, high-volumewireless communication becomes commonplace, an electronic device, suchas a mobile communication terminal, is recently being equipped withvarious functions. For example, an electronic device comes with theintegrated functionality, including an entertainment function, such asplaying video games, a multimedia function, such as replayingmusic/videos, a communication and security function for mobile banking,and a scheduling or e-wallet function. Such electronic devices becomecompact enough for users to carry in a convenient way.

As mobile communication services extend up to multimedia servicesectors, electronic devices require a larger display to allow userssatisfactory use of multimedia services as well as voice call or textmessaging services. This, however, trades off the trend of electronicdevices being compact.

An electronic device (e.g., a portable terminal) includes a display witha flat surface or both a flat and curved surface. An electronic devicewith an existing type of display may need another terminal to implementa larger size than that of the electronic device due to the fixeddisplay structure.

In a foldable electronic device structure, the area where the display isfolded is split into portions which are implemented to move about eachother, rendering it difficult for the display to rest in a fixedposition in the electronic device. Where the electronic device repeatsbetween the flat position and folded position, the foldable area of thedisplay may deform, failing to maintain the flat surface.

SUMMARY

According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, there maybe provided an electronic device with a flexible display that may beflattened or folded by the user's manipulation.

According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, there maybe provided an electronic device with a flexible display that may allowthe flexible display to be freely varied between a small screen mode anda large screen mode.

According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, there maybe provided an electronic device with a flexible display, in which ahinge structure is provided in the area where the flexible display isfolded to bear variations in length to the flexible display.

According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, anelectronic device may comprise a first housing including a first surfaceand a second surface facing in a direction opposite the first surface, asecond housing including a third surface and a fourth surface facing ina direction opposite the third surface, a hinge disposed between thefirst housing and the second housing and configured to providerotational motion between the first housing and the second housing, anda flexible display assembly disposed from the first surface of the firsthousing across the hinge to the third surface of the second housing, atleast part of the flexible display assembly configured to form a curvedsurface as the hinge structure is folded, wherein the hinge may includedual-axis hinges providing a first rotational axis configured to allowthe first housing to rotate about the second housing and a secondrotational axis configured to allow the second housing to rotate aboutthe first housing and slide assemblies coupled with the first housingand the second housing and configured to provide sliding motionperpendicular to a lengthwise direction of the first housing and thesecond housing.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings,discloses example embodiments of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features and attendant advantages of thepresent disclosure will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an electronic device in a networkenvironment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2A is a front view illustrating an electronic device in an unfoldedposition according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2B is a rear view illustrating an electronic device in an unfoldedposition, which is viewed from a different direction, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2C is a side view illustrating an electronic device in an unfoldedposition, which is viewed from a side direction, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3A is a front view illustrating a surface of an electronic devicein a folded position which is viewed from a front direction according toan embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3B is a rear view illustrating another surface of the electronicdevice in a folded position which is viewed from another directionaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3C is a side view illustrating an electronic device in a foldedposition which is viewed from a side direction according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating a side surface of a foldedelectronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure,wherein FIG. 4A is a side view illustrating a curved area of the displayassembly, and FIG. 4B is a side view opposite to FIG. 4A;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the configuration ofa right-hand area of an electronic device according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the configuration ofa left-hand area of an electronic device according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a projection view illustrating an arrangement of inner partsof an electronic device in a flat position according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a projection view illustrating a hinge structure disposed inan electronic device unfolded, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 9 is a front view illustrating the hinge structure according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a front view illustrating parts of the dual-axis hinge moduleaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating a cross section of a gearunit of the dual-axis hinge module disposed in the electronic deviceaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein FIG. 11Ais a cross-sectional view illustrating the electronic device partiallyfolded, and FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view illustrating theelectronic device fully folded;

FIG. 12 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a portion of thehinge structure of FIG. 9;

FIGS. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating is an enlarged plan viewillustrating a rail bracket and a slide module as shown in FIG. 9according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the slide module ofFIG. 13, taken along line A-A′ according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the slidemodule is coupled with the first housing according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional prospective view obtained by cutting theslide module of FIG. 15 along line B-B′ according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view illustrating a structure in which a centerbar is disposed on one surface of a hinge structure in an unfoldedposition according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view illustrating a structure in which multibars are disposed on one surface of a hinge structure in a flat positionaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view illustrating a side surface of a multi barin the flat position according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 20 is a side view illustrating the hinge structure of FIG. 18according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view illustrating a hinge structure in a foldedposition according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view illustrating a structure in which a centerbar and multi bars are disposed on one surface of a hinge structure in afolded position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view illustrating a bottom surface of a multibar in a hinge structure in a folded position according to an embodimentof the present disclosure;

FIG. 24A is a top view illustrating a hinge structure disposed betweenthe first housing and the second housing with the slide covers andexcluded, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 24B is a top view illustrating the structure of FIG. 26 with theslide covers 1010 a and 1010 b arranged, according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIGS. 25A, 25B and 25C are perspective views sequentially illustratingthe operation of an electronic device with a hinge structure thattransforms from an unfolded to a folded position, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 26A, 26B and 26C are cross-sectional views sequentiallyillustrating the operation of the electronic device that transforms froman unfolded to a folded position, where a side thereof has been cutaway, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating a state of a main flexible printedcircuit board disposed inside a housing according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional view of a main flexible printed circuitboard disposed in an electronic device in a flat position according toan embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 29 is a cross-sectional view of a main flexible printed circuitboard disposed in an electronic device in a folded position according toan embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 30 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a stacked structure of adisplay assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;and

FIG. 31 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a variation to a stackedstructure of a display assembly disposed in an electronic device folded,according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals will be understood torefer to like parts, components, and structures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, various example embodiments of the present disclosure aredescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, itshould be appreciated that the present disclosure is not limited to theembodiments, and all changes and/or equivalents and/or replacementsthereto also belong to the scope of the present disclosure. The same orsimilar reference denotations may be used to refer to the same orsimilar elements throughout the specification and the drawings.

As used herein, the terms “have,” “may have,” “include,” or “mayinclude” a feature (e.g., a number, function, operation, or a componentsuch as a part) indicate the existence of the feature and do not excludethe existence of other features.

As used herein, the terms “A or B,” “at least one of A and/or B,” or“one or more of A and/or B” may include all possible combinations of Aand B. For example, “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” “at least oneof A or B” may indicate all of (1) including at least one A, (2)including at least one B, or (3) including at least one A and at leastone B.

As used herein, the terms “first” and “second” may be used to referencevarious components regardless of importance and/or order and are used todistinguish a component from another without limiting the components.For example, a first user device and a second user device may indicatedifferent user devices from each other regardless of the order orimportance of the devices. For example, a first component may be denoteda second component, and vice versa without departing from the scope ofthe present disclosure.

It will be understood that when an element (e.g., a first element) isreferred to as being (operatively or communicatively) “coupled with/to,”or “connected with/to” another element (e.g., a second element), it canbe coupled or connected with/to the other element directly or via athird element. On the other hand, it will be understood that when anelement (e.g., a first element) is referred to as being “directlycoupled with/to” or “directly connected with/to” another element (e.g.,a second element), no other element (e.g., a third element) intervenesbetween the element and the other element.

As used herein, the terms “configured (or set) to” may be usedinterchangeably used with the terms “suitable for,” “having the capacityto,” “designed to,” “adapted to,” “made to,” or “capable of” dependingon circumstances. The term “configured (or set) to” does not necessarilyrefer to “specifically designed in hardware to.” Rather, the term“configured to” may refer to a situation in which a device can performan operation together with another device or parts. For example, theterm “processor configured (or set) to perform A, B, and C” may refer,for example, and without limitation, to a generic-purpose processor(e.g., a CPU or application processor) that may perform the operationsby executing one or more software programs stored in a memory device ora dedicated processor (e.g., an embedded processor) for performing theoperations, or the like.

The terms as used herein are provided merely to describe someembodiments thereof, but not to limit the scope of other embodiments ofthe present disclosure. It is to be understood that the singular forms“a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the contextclearly dictates otherwise. The terms including technical and scientificterms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one ofordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments of the presentdisclosure belong. It will be further understood that terms, such asthose defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted ashaving a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context ofthe relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overlyformal sense unless expressly so defined herein. In some cases, theterms defined herein may not be interpreted to exclude embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

For example, examples of the electronic device according to embodimentsof the present disclosure may include at least one of a smartphone, atablet personal computer (PC), a mobile phone, a video phone, an e-bookreader, a desktop PC, a laptop computer, a netbook computer, aworkstation, a server, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portablemultimedia player (PMP), a MP3 player, a mobile medical device, acamera, or a wearable device. According to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the wearable device may include at least one of anaccessory-type device (e.g., a watch, a ring, a bracelet, an anklet, anecklace, glasses, contact lenses, or a head-mounted device (HMD)), afabric- or clothes-integrated device (e.g., electronic clothes), a bodyattaching-type device (e.g., a skin pad or tattoo), or a bodyimplantable device (e.g., an implantable circuit), or the like, but isnot limited thereto.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronicdevice may be a home appliance. Examples of the home appliance mayinclude at least one of a television, a digital video disk (DVD) player,an audio player, a refrigerator, an air conditioner, a cleaner, an oven,a microwave oven, a washer, a drier, an air cleaner, a set-top box, ahome automation control panel, a security control panel, a TV box (e.g.,Samsung HomeSync™, Apple TV™, or Google TV™), a gaming console (Xbox™,PlayStation™), an electronic dictionary, an electronic key, a camcorder,or an electronic picture frame, or the like, but is not limited thereto.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, examples of theelectronic device may include at least one of various medical devices(e.g., diverse portable medical measuring devices (a blood sugarmeasuring device, a heartbeat measuring device, or a body temperaturemeasuring device), a magnetic resource angiography (MRA) device, amagnetic resource imaging (MRI) device, a computed tomography (CT)device, an imaging device, or an ultrasonic device), a navigationdevice, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver, an eventdata recorder (EDR), a flight data recorder (FDR), an automotiveinfotainment device, an sailing electronic device (e.g., a sailingnavigation device or a gyro compass), avionics, security devices,vehicular head units, industrial or home robots, automatic teller'smachines (ATMs), point of sales (POS) devices, or internet of things(IoT) devices (e.g., a bulb, various sensors, an electric or gas meter,a sprinkler, a fire alarm, a thermostat, a street light, a toaster,fitness equipment, a hot water tank, a heater, or a boiler), or thelike, but is not limited thereto.

According to various embodiments of the disclosure, examples of theelectronic device may at least one of part of a piece of furniture orbuilding/structure, an electronic board, an electronic signaturereceiving device, a projector, or various measurement devices (e.g.,devices for measuring water, electricity, gas, or electromagneticwaves), or the like, but is not limited thereto.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronicdevice may be one or a combination of the above-listed devices.According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronicdevice may be a flexible electronic device. The electronic devicedisclosed herein is not limited to the above-listed devices, and mayinclude new electronic devices depending on the development oftechnology.

Hereinafter, electronic devices are described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure. As used herein, the term “user” may denote a person orelectronic device using an electronic device or accessory device, whichis described below, or a device (e.g., an artificial intelligenceelectronic device) using the accessory device.

Referring to FIG. 1, according to an example embodiment of the presentdisclosure, an electronic device 100 is included in a networkenvironment 101.

The electronic device 101 may include a bus 110, a processor (e.g.,including processing circuitry) 120, a memory 130, an input/outputinterface (e.g., including input/output circuitry) 150, a display 160,and a communication interface (e.g., including communication circuitry)170. In some embodiments, the electronic device 101 may exclude at leastone of the components or may add another component.

The bus 110 may include a circuit for connecting the components 110 to170 with one another and transferring communications (e.g., controlmessages or data) between the components.

The processor 120 may include various processing circuitry, such as, forexample, and without limitation, one or more of a dedicated processor, acentral processing unit (CPU), an application processor (AP), or acommunication processor (CP), or the like. The processor 120 may performcontrol on at least one of the other components of the electronic device101 or perform an operation or data processing relating tocommunication.

The memory 130 may include a volatile or non-volatile memory. Forexample, the memory 130 may store commands or data related to at leastone other component of the electronic device 101. According to anembodiment of the present disclosure, the memory 130 may store softwareor a program 140. The program 140 may include, e.g., a kernel 141,middleware 143, an application programming interface (API) 145, or anapplication program (or “application”) 147. At least a portion of thekernel 141, middleware 143, or API 145 may be denoted an operatingsystem (OS). For example, the kernel 141 may control or manage systemresources (e.g., the bus 110, processor 120, or a memory 130) used toperform operations or functions implemented in other programs (e.g., themiddleware 143, API 145, or application program 147).

The kernel 141 may provide an interface that allows the middleware 143,the API 145, or the application 147 to access the individual componentsof the electronic device 101 to control or manage the system resources.

The middleware 143 may function as a relay to allow the API 145 or theapplication 147 to communicate data with the kernel 141, for example.Further, the middleware 143 may process one or more task requestsreceived from the application program 147 in order of priority. Forexample, the middleware 143 may assign a priority of using systemresources (e.g., bus 110, processor 120, or memory 130) of theelectronic device 101 to at least one of the application programs 147and process one or more task requests. For example, the input/outputinterface 150 may transfer commands or data input from the user or otherexternal device to other component(s) of the electronic device 101 ormay output commands or data received from other component(s) of theelectronic device 101 to the user or other external devices.

The display 160 may include, e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), alight emitting diode (LED) display, an organic light emitting diode(OLED) display, or a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) display, oran electronic paper display, or the like, but is not limited thereto.The display 160 may display, e.g., various contents (e.g., text, images,videos, icons, or symbols) to the user. The display 160 may include atouchscreen and may receive, e.g., a touch, gesture, proximity orhovering input using an electronic pen or a body portion of the user.

For example, the communication interface 170 may set up communicationbetween the electronic device 101 and an external device (e.g., a firstelectronic device 102, a second electronic device 104, or a server 106).For example, the communication interface 170 may be connected with thenetwork 162 through wireless or wired communication to communicate withthe external electronic device (e.g., the second external electronicdevice 104 or server 106).

The wireless communication may include cellular communication which usesat least one of, e.g., long term evolution (LTE), long term evolution-advanced (LTE-A), code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband codedivision multiple access (WCDMA), universal mobile telecommunicationsystem (UMTS), wireless broadband (WiBro), or global system for mobilecommunication (GSM). According to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the wireless communication may include at least one of,e.g., wireless-fidelity (Wi-Fi), light-fidelity (Li-Fi), bluetooth,bluetooth low power (BLE), zigbee, near-field communication (NFC),magnetic secure transmission (MST), radio frequency (RF), or body areanetwork (BAN) as denoted with element 164 of FIG. 1. According to anembodiment of the present disclosure, the wireless communication mayinclude global navigation satellite system (GNSS). The GNSS may be,e.g., global positioning system (GPS), global navigation satellitesystem (Glonass), Beidou navigation satellite system (hereinafter,“Beidou”) or Galileo, or the European global satellite-based navigationsystem. Hereinafter, the terms “GPS” and the “GNSS” may beinterchangeably used herein. The wired connection may include at leastone of, e.g., universal serial bus (USB), high definition multimediainterface (HDMI), recommended standard (RS)-232, power linecommunication (PLC), or plain old telephone service (POTS). The network162 may include at least one of telecommunication networks, e.g., acomputer network (e.g., local area network (LAN) or wide area network(WAN)), Internet, or a telephone network.

The first and second external electronic devices 102 and 104 each may bea device of the same or a different type from the electronic device 101.According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, all or some ofoperations executed on the electronic device 101 may be executed onanother or multiple other electronic devices (e.g., the electronicdevices 102 and 104 or server 106). According to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure, when the electronic device 101 should perform somefunction or service automatically or at a request, the electronic device101, instead of executing the function or service on its own oradditionally, may request another device (e.g., electronic devices 102and 104 or server 106) to perform at least some functions associatedtherewith. The other electronic device (e.g., electronic devices 102 and104 or server 106) may execute the requested functions or additionalfunctions and transfer a result of the execution to the electronicdevice 101. The electronic device 101 may provide a requested functionor service by processing the received result as it is or additionally.To that end, a cloud computing, distributed computing, or client-servercomputing technique may be used, for example.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronicdevice 101 may be operated from an unfolded position to a foldedposition via a hinge structure placed inside. The electronic device inthe unfolded position may be referred to as the ‘unfolded electronicdevice’ or ‘electronic device with a plurality of housing arrangedhorizontally,’ and the electronic device in the folded position may bereferred to as the “folded electronic device.”

FIG. 2A is a front view illustrating an electronic device 200 asunfolded according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2Bis a rear view illustrating an electronic device 200 as unfolded, whichis viewed from a different direction, according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure. FIG. 2C is a side view illustrating an electronicdevice 200 as unfolded, which is viewed from a side direction, accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C, the electronic device 200 may have thesame structure, in whole or part, as the electronic device 101 of FIG.1.

In the three-axis rectangular coordinate system as shown in FIGS. 2A to2C, ‘X,’ ‘Y,’ and ‘Z,’ respectively, may denote the width, length, andheight direction of the electronic device 200. According to anembodiment of the present disclosure, the ‘Z axis’ may mean the firstdirection (+Z) and the second direction (−Z).

As shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C, the electronic device 200 may include aplurality of housings 210, a display assembly 220, and a connectionstructure (e.g., a hinge structure 230). The housings 210 may include afirst housing 210 a and a second housing 210 b. The first housing 210 amay include a first surface 201 a, which corresponds a first surface, asecond surface 202 a, which corresponds to a rear surface, and a sidesurface 203 surrounding part of the space between the first surface 201a and the second surface 202 a. The second housing 210 b may include athird surface 201 b corresponding to a front surface, a fourth surface202 b corresponding to a rear surface, and a side surface 203surrounding part of the space between the third surface 201 b and thefourth surface 202 b.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, at least part ofthe first surface 201 a of the first housing 210 a may be opened, and atransparent cover is mounted to form at least part of the first surface201 a of the first housing 210 a to close the opened first surface 201 aof the first housing 210 a. As another example, at least part of thethird surface 201 b of the second housing 210 b may be opened, and atransparent cover may be mounted to form at least part of the thirdsurface 201 b of the second housing 210 b t close the opened thirdsurface 201 b of the second housing 210 b.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a keypad includingbuttons for delivering signals or touch keys (not shown) may be providedin an area (e.g., a bezel area or area overlapping the display) of thetransparent cover, e.g., in the front surfaces 201 a and 201 b of thehousing 210 of the electronic device 200. The touch keys may generateinput signals as they are touched by the user's body. According to anembodiment of the present disclosure, the keypad may be implemented toinclude only mechanical buttons or only the touch keys. As anotherexample, the keypad may be implemented in a mixed type of the mechanicalbutton type and the touch type. The keypad may provide various screenson the display assembly corresponding to shorter or longer presses ortouches on the buttons.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the housing 210has various circuit device inside, such as the processor 120, the memory130, the input/output interface 150, and the communication interface 170as described above in connection with FIG. 1, and the housing 210 mayreceive a battery (e.g., the battery 370 of FIG. 5 or the battery 380 ofFIG. 6) inside to secure power.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronicdevice 200 may include a first housing 210 a, a second housing 210 b,and a hinge structure 230. The hinge structure 230 may couple the firsthousing 210 a and the second housing 210 b so that the first housing 210a and the second housing 210 b may rotate about each other. For example,the first housing 210 a may be folded or unfolded about the secondhousing 210 b.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first housingmay be positioned on a right-hand side when the display assembly 220 isfront-facing (e.g., the first direction +Z), and a first camera 12 a, alight source unit 12 b, or an iris camera 12 c may be provided in anupper area of the front surface (the first surface 201 a). For example,the light source unit 12 b may be an infrared (IR) light emitting diode(LED). The iris camera 12 c may take an image of the user's eye using,as a light source, near infrared light emitted from the IR LED, therebyrecognizing iris information. As another example, a light source unitindication lamp 12 d, an illuminance sensor or proximity sensor 12 e maybe included in the upper area of the front surface of the electronicdevice 200.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second housing210 b may be positioned on a left-hand side when the display assembly220 is front-facing (e.g., the first direction +Z), and a second camera,a heart rate monitor (HRM), or a flash (not shown) may be provided in anupper area of the front surface (the third surface 201 b). According toan embodiment of the present disclosure, although an example isdescribed in which the modules are arranged in particular areas in aportion of the housing, embodiments of the present disclosure are notlimited thereto, and the number, arrangement, and other configuration ofthe modules may be varied depending on the shape and structure of theelectronic device.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the displayassembly 220 may be disposed on the front surface of the first housing210 a, the second housing 210 b, and the hinge structure 230. Thedisplay assembly 220 is formed to extend from the first housing 210 athrough the hinge structure 230 to the second housing 210 b and may beprovided in a flexible structure that may be folded around virtual hingeaxes A1 and A2 formed along the lengthwise direction of the hingestructure 230. The hinge structure 230 may include a fifth surface 231front-facing_(the first direction +Z) and a sixth surface 232 facing ina direction (the second direction −Z) opposite to the front surface.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second surface202 a of the first housing 210 a and the fourth surface 202 b of thesecond housing 210 b are positioned facing in a second direction −Zwhich is opposite to the first direction +Z and may be formed of amaterial, e.g., reinforced glass or synthetic resin, that transmitsradio waves or magnetic fields. As another example, the second surface202 a of the first housing 210 a and the fourth surface 202 b of thesecond housing 210 b may be formed of a metal (e.g., aluminum, specialtreatment steel (STS), or magnesium), or at least partially, of asynthetic resin.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second surface202 a of the first housing 210 a and the fourth surface 202 b of thesecond housing 210 b may be formed of the same material as the sidesurface 203. As another example, the second surface 202 a and the fourthsurface 202 b of the housing 210 may be formed integral with the sidesurface 203. The second surface 202 a and the fourth surface 202 b,alongside the display assembly 220, may form the outer appearance of theelectronic device 200.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the side surface203 may form a side surface of the housing 210, be positioned in adirection perpendicular to the first and third surfaces 201 a and 201 band/or second and fourth surfaces 202 a and 202 b, and be formed of amaterial, e.g., reinforced glass or synthetic resin, which may transmitradio waves or magnetic fields. As another example, the side surface 203may be formed of a metal (e.g., aluminum, STS, or magnesium), or atleast partially, of a synthetic resin. In the side surface 203 may beformed a speaker hole 14 a, an earphone jack 14 b or charging terminalhole 14 c enabling an external connection of a speaker enclosure, earjack, or charging terminal embedded in the electronic device 200.

FIG. 3A is a front view illustrating a surface of an electronic device200 as folded which is viewed from a front direction according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3B is a rear viewillustrating another surface of the electronic device 200 as foldedwhich is viewed from another direction according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure. FIG. 3C is a side view illustrating an electronicdevice 200 as folded which is viewed from a side direction according toan embodiment of the present disclosure.

The structure of the electronic device 200 shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B and to3C may be the same in whole or part as the structure of the electronicdevice 200 of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3C the electronic device 200 may include afirst housing 210 a, a second housing 210 b, and a hinge structure 230.The hinge structure 230 may couple the first housing 210 a and thesecond housing 210 b so that the first housing 210 a and the secondhousing 210 b may rotate about each other.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first housing210 a of the electronic device 200 may rotate at 0 degrees to 180degrees about the second housing 210 b. As the first housing 210 arotates 180 degrees about the second housing 210 b to fold theelectronic device 200, the second surface 202 a of the first housing 210a may be rendered to face the fourth surface 202 b of the second housing210 b. As another example, the hinge structure 230 provided between thefirst housing 210 a and the second housing 210 b may form an outersurface that varies between flat and curved with respect to at least onevirtual rotational axis (the rotational axes A1 and A2 of FIG. 2a ). Atleast part of the right surface of the outer surface of the hingestructure 230, with respect to the virtual rotational axis (e.g., thevirtual rotational axes A1 and A2 of FIG. 2a ) formed along thelengthwise direction may extend from the first housing 210 a, and atleast part of the left surface may extend from the second housing 210 b.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the displayassembly 220 may be disposed to extend from the first housing 210 athrough the outer surface of the hinge structure 230 to the secondhousing 210 b. In the folded position of the electronic device 200, afirst area 220 a of the display assembly 220 disposed in the firsthousing 210 a may be disposed to be front-facing (e.g., the +Zdirection), and a second area 220 b of the display assembly 220 disposedin the second housing 210 b may be disposed to be rear-facing (e.g., the−Z direction).

As another example, a third area 220 c disposed in the outer surface ofthe hinge structure 230 may be disposed in a side surface direction(e.g., a direction in which at least part thereof is perpendicular tothe front surface or rear surface). The third area 220 c may form asurface protruding from the side surface, and part of the protrudingsurface may include a flat surface 2201 c and/or curved surfaces 2202 c.For example, a middle of the third area 220 c may be the flat surface2201 c, and the curved surfaces 2202 c extending from both sides thereofmay be curved surfaces smoothly extending from the first area 220 aand/or the second area 220 b.

FIGS. 4A and 4B is a diagram illustrating a side surface of a foldedelectronic device 200 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. FIG. 4A is a side view illustrating a curved area of thedisplay assembly 220, and FIG. 4B is a side view opposite to FIG. 4A.

The structure of the electronic device 200 shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B maybe the same in whole or part as the structure of the electronic device200 of FIGS. 3A to 3C. According to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the electronic device 200 may include a first housing 210, asecond housing 210 b, and a hinge structure 230. The hinge structure 230may couple the first housing 210 a and the second housing 210 b so thatthe first housing 210 a and the second housing 210 b may rotate abouteach other.

Referring to FIG. 4A, multi bars 232 may be disposed at both sides of acenter bar forming the outer surface of the hinge structure 230, on theside surface of the electronic device 200, as folded, where the displayassembly 220 is disposed. The center bar 231 may form the center of theouter surface of the hinge structure 230 and support the displayassembly 220 to form a flat surface on the side. The multi bars 232 maybe formed at both sides of the center bar 231 and may at least partiallyface the housings 210 a and 210 b. For example, a first multi bar 232 amay be formed with a predetermined curvature from an end of the firsthousing 210 a to the center bar 231. As another example, a second multibar 232 b may be formed with a predetermined curvature from an end ofthe second housing 210 b to the center bar 231. The multi bars 232 a and232 b may be transformed to have curvatures corresponding to thecurvature of the display assembly 220. The center bar 231 and the multibars 232 are described below in greater detail.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the displayassembly 220 may be disposed on at least part of the outer surface ofthe center bar 231 and multi bars 232. For example, the display assembly220 may be folded to correspond to the transformation of the center bar231 and multi bars 232 as the hinge structure 230 is folded. The displayassembly 220 may be disposed on a majority of the front and/or rearsurface of the electronic device 200 to be exposed to the outside but isnot on the bezel which corresponds to an upper and/or lower portion ofthe front and/or rear surface of the electronic device 200 to preventand/or reduce the effects of external impacts.

Referring to FIG. 4B, a side surface of the electronic device 200 whichis positioned opposite the other surface where the display assembly 220is positioned, e.g., a first surface of the first housing 210 a and aside surface of the second housing 210 b may be arranged side-by-side.An edge of the side surface of the first housing 210 a and an edge ofthe side surface of the second housing 210 b may meet each other,forming one surface inside which a recess 205 may be formed to theinside of the electronic device 200. For example, the recess 205 may beimplemented as a groove allowing the user to easily fold or unfold theelectronic device 200.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a power key 16 aand/or a volume key 16 b may be disposed inside the recess 205. Forexample, the power key 16 a and/or volume key 16 b may selectively bedisposed on the side surface of the first housing 210 a or the sidesurface of the second housing 210 b.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are exploded perspective views illustrating theconfiguration of an electronic device 300 according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective viewillustrating the configuration of a right-hand part of the electronicdevice 300, and FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating theconfiguration of a left-hand part of the electronic device 300.

FIG. 7 is a projection view illustrating an arrangement of inner partsof an electronic device 300 in a flat position according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

The structure of the electronic device 300 shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7may be the same in whole or part as the structure of the electronicdevice 200 of FIGS. 2 to 4.

Referring to FIGS. 5 to 7, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the electronic device 300 may include a first housing 310 a,a second housing 310 b, a display assembly 320, and a hinge structure330. The hinge structure 330 may couple the first housing 310 a and thesecond housing 310 b so that the first housing 310 a and the secondhousing 310 b may rotate about each other. For example, the firsthousing 310 a may be folded or unfolded about the second housing 310 b.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 7, the right-hand part of the electronic device300 may include the first housing 310 a, part of the display assembly320, a main printed circuit board 350 a, and a first battery 370.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first housing310 a may be an element for receiving various electronic parts. At leastpart of the first housing 310 a may be formed of a conductive material.For example, the first housing 310 a may have side walls that form outerside surfaces of the electronic device 300. Portions of the firsthousing 310 a, which are exposed to the outside of the electronic device300, may be formed of a metal. As another example, the first housing 310a may be formed of a metal (e.g., aluminum, STS, or magnesium), or atleast partially, of a synthetic resin. The main printed circuit board350 a and/or the first battery 370 may be received inside the firsthousing 310 a. For example, a processor, a communication module, variousinterfaces (e.g., the interfaces 150 and 170 of FIG. 1), and a powermanagement module may be mounted on the main printed circuit board 350 ain the form of an integrated circuit (IC) chip. The control circuit mayalso be configured in an IC chip that may be mounted on the printedcircuit board 350 a. For example, the control circuit may be part of theprocessor or the communication module. As another example, a shield can351 may be disposed to shield the IC chips of the main printed circuitboard 350 a from external magnetic fields.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a front camera 352and a receiver 353 may be arranged in an upper area inside the firsthousing 310 a, and a key module 306, which is a combination of the powerkey 306 a and/or the volume key 306 b, may be disposed on a sidesurface. On the side surface may be disposed at least one magnet 308that induces a magnetic coupling with the second housing 310 b. On alower area inside the first housing 310 a may be disposed a sim socket309 f for receiving a sim card, a charging unit 309 a, a chargingterminal (e.g., USB type-C) 309 b, and/or a microphone (mic) module 309c. However, the arrangement of the parts is not limited thereto, butrather, the parts may be arranged in various areas inside the firsthousing 310 a to configure an arrangement for efficient mounting insidethe electronic device 300.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a portion (e.g.,the right-hand part of the display assembly 320) of the display assembly320 may be exposed through the front surface of the first housing 310 a.The display device 320 may be, at least partly, formed of a materialthat transmits radio waves or magnetic fields. The display device 320may be mounted on the front surface of the first housing 310 a (to facein the first direction +Z). The display assembly 320 may include aflexible window member (e.g., a polyimide film (PI)) and a display panel(e.g., OLED) mounted on an inner surface of the window member. A touchpanel may be provided between the window member and the display panel.For example, the display assembly 320 may be utilized as an input deviceequipped with touchscreen functionality, not alone as an output devicefor outputting screen. According to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the display assembly 320 may include a separate digitizerpanel (not shown), as an input panel, on the rear surface of the displaypanel. For example, the digitizer panel may detect a handwriting that ismade by an input module (e.g., a pen) while communicating with theelectronic device 300 in a wired or wireless manner, and the digitizerpanel may deliver the detected handwriting to the electronic device 300.The digitizer panel may be formed of a flexible panel that is foldableor rollable to carry. For example, the digitizer panel, as an inputpanel, may generate an electromagnetic field when an alternating current(AC) is applied thereto.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first housing310 a may include a first middle plate 311 a that may move to the leftor right with respect to the hinge structure 330 which is disposed atthe center of the electronic device 300, a first bracket 312 a disposedon the front surface of the first middle plate 311 a and supporting aportion of the display assembly 320, and upper and lower plates 313 adisposed at both ends of the first middle plate 311 a and exposed toform a bezel area which is an outer surface of the electronic device300.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, various holes maybe formed in the outer surfaces of the first middle plate 311 a and/orthe upper and lower plates 313 a to expose portions of variouselectronic parts to the outside of the electronic device 300. Althoughnot shown in the drawings, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, various structures may be formed on the surface of the firstmiddle plate 311 a depending on the arrangement of electronic partsinside the electronic device 300 or connections within the first housing310 a. For example, each of spaces for receiving the IC chips mounted onthe main printed circuit board 350 a may be formed in the first middleplate 311 a. The spaces for the IC chips may be formed in recessedshapes or ribs surrounding the IC chips.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a hinge structuremay be disposed at an edge of the first middle plate 311 a. For example,part of the hinge structure may be connected with the first middle plate311 a, and the rest may be seated between the first middle plate 311 aand the second middle plate 311 b.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first bracket312 a may be prepared in a plate shape and may be coupled with the firstmiddle plate 311 a while having the right part of the display assembly320 seated thereon. For example, the first bracket 312 a may includefirst coupling holes 3111, and the first middle plate 311 a may havesecond coupling holes 3112 corresponding to the first coupling holes3111. Coupling members (not shown), e.g., screws, may fit into the firstcoupling holes 3111 and the second coupling holes 3112 to join the firstbracket 312 a with the first middle plate 311 a.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronicdevice 300 may include a first rear cover 340 a to protect the rearsurface of the first housing 310 a. The first rear cover 340 a ismounted opposite the display assembly 320 and may be formed of amaterial capable of transmitting radio waves or magnetic fields, e.g.,reinforced glass or synthetic resin. As another example, the first rearcover 340 a of the first housing 310 a may be formed of a metal (e.g.,aluminum, STS, or magnesium), or at least partially, of a syntheticresin. The first rear cover 340 a, along with the display assembly 320,may form the outer appearance of the electronic device 300. For example,the second surface (e.g., the second surface 202 a of FIG. 2b ) facingin the second direction −Z of the first rear cover 340 a may form theouter surface of the electronic device.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronicdevice 300 may include a first antenna unit 360 a having a conductivepattern and a radiating conductor unit (not shown). The first antennaunit 360 a may be disposed between the main printed circuit board 350 aand the first rear cover 340 a. Magnetic fields generated by theconductive pattern of the first antenna unit 360 a or radio wavestransmitted or received through the conductive pattern of the firstantenna unit 360 a may be transmitted through the first rear cover 340a.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, one surface of thefirst antenna unit 360 a may include a film formed of an insulator ordielectric material and may provide an area for forming the conductivepattern(s). For example, the first antenna unit 360 a including theconductive pattern may be shaped as a flexible printed circuit board asviewed from the outside. Alternatively, the first antenna unit 360 a maybe a flexible printed circuit board in a multi-layer circuit boardstructure. For example, the conductive pattern(s) may be disposed on onesurface, or its opposite surface, of the first antenna unit 360 a. Whenthe first antenna unit 360 a has a multi-layer circuit board structure,a plurality of conductive patterns may be formed on appropriate ones ofthe layers comprising the first antenna unit 360 a. For example, theconductive patterns may be formed by, e.g., printing, deposition,coating, and/or plating, and part of the conductive layer formed in theantenna layer 360 may be formed by etching (e.g., wet etching or dryetching). Or, the first antenna unit 360 a may be part of an innerstructure formed by laser direct structuring (LDS).

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the left-hand part of the electronic device300 may include the second housing 310 b, part of the display assembly320, a sub printed circuit board 350 a, and a second battery 380.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second housing310 b may be an element for receiving various electronic parts. At leastpart of the second housing 310 b may be formed of a conductive material.For example, the second housing 310 b may have side walls that formouter side surfaces of the electronic device 300. Portions of the secondhousing 310 b, which are exposed to the outside of the electronic device300, may be formed of a metal. As another example, the second housing310 b may be formed of a metal (e.g., aluminum, STS, or magnesium), orat least partially, of a synthetic resin. The sub printed circuit board350 b and/or a second battery 380 may be received inside the secondhousing 310 b. For example, a processor, a communication module, variousinterfaces (e.g., the interfaces 150 and 170 of FIG. 1), and a powermanagement module (not shown) may be mounted on the sub printed circuitboard 350 b in the form of an integrated circuit (IC) chip. The controlcircuit may also be configured in an IC chip that may be mounted on thesub printed circuit board 350 b. For example, the control circuit may bepart of the processor or the communication module.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a main camera 358,a hall sensor (not shown), and/or a vibration module 354 may be arrangedon an upper area inside the second housing 310 b, and at least onemagnet 309 and/or a speaker enclosure 309 d may be disposed on the sidearea to induce a magnetic coupling with the magnet 308 disposed insidethe first housing 310 a. An ear jack 309 e may be disposed on a lowerarea inside the second housing 310 b. However, the arrangement of theparts is not limited thereto, but rather, the parts may be arranged invarious areas inside the second housing 310 b to configure an efficientarrangement inside the electronic device 300.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a portion (e.g.,the left-hand part of the display 320) of the display assembly 320 maybe exposed through the front surface of the second housing 310 b. Thedisplay assembly 320 may be, at least partly, formed of a material thattransmits radio waves or magnetic fields. The display assembly 320 maybe mounted on the front surface of the second housing 310 b (to face inthe first direction +Z). The display assembly 320 may include a flexiblewindow member (e.g., a polyimide film (PI)) and a display panel (e.g.,OLED) mounted on an inner surface of the window member. A touch panelmay be provided between the window member and the display panel. Forexample, the display assembly 320 may be utilized as an input deviceequipped with touchscreen functionality, not alone as an output devicefor outputting screen. According to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the display assembly 320 may include a separate digitizerpanel (not shown), as an input panel, on the rear surface of the displaypanel.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second housing310 b may include a second middle plate 311 b that may move to the leftor right with respect to the hinge structure 330 which is disposed atthe center of the electronic device 300, a second bracket 312 b disposedon the front surface of the second middle plate 311 b and supporting aportion of the display assembly 320, and upper and lower plates 313 bdisposed at both ends of the second middle plate 311 b and exposed toform a bezel area which is an outer surface of the electronic device300.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, various holes maybe formed in the outer surfaces of the second middle plate 311 b and/orthe upper and lower plates 313 b to expose portions of variouselectronic parts to the outside of the electronic device 300. Althoughnot shown in the drawings, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, various structures may be formed on the surface of thesecond middle plate 311 b depending on the arrangement of electronicparts inside the electronic device 300 or connections within the secondhousing 310 b. For example, each of spaces for receiving the IC chipsmounted on the sub printed circuit board 350 b may be formed in thesecond middle plate 311 b. The spaces for the IC chips may be formed inrecessed shapes or ribs surrounding the IC chips.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a hinge structuremay be disposed at an edge of the second middle plate 311 b. Forexample, part of the hinge structure may be connected with the secondmiddle plate 311 b, and the rest may be seated between the second middleplate 311 b and the first middle plate 311 a.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second bracket312 b may be prepared in a plate shape and may be coupled with thesecond middle plate 311 b while having the right part of the displayassembly 320 seated thereon. For example, the second bracket 312 b mayinclude first coupling holes 3113, and the second middle plate 311 b mayhave second coupling holes 3114 corresponding to the first couplingholes 3113. Coupling members (not shown), e.g., screws, may fit into thefirst coupling holes 3113 and the second coupling holes 3114 to join thesecond bracket 312 b with the second middle plate 311 b.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronicdevice 300 may include a second rear cover 340 b to protect the rearsurface of the second housing 310 b. The second rear cover 340 b ismounted opposite the display assembly 320 and may be formed of amaterial capable of transmitting radio waves or magnetic fields, e.g.,reinforced glass or synthetic resin. As another example, the first rearcover 340 b of the second housing 310 b may be formed of a metal (e.g.,aluminum, STS, or magnesium), or at least partially, of a syntheticresin. The second rear cover 340 b, along with the display assembly 320,may form the outer appearance of the electronic device 300. For example,the fourth surface (e.g., the fourth surface 202 b of FIG. 2b ) facingin the second direction −Z of the second rear cover 340 b may form theouter surface of the electronic device.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronicdevice 300 may include a second antenna unit 360 b having a conductivepattern and a radiating conductor unit (not shown). The second antennaunit 360 b may be disposed between the sub printed circuit board 350 band the second rear cover 340 b. Magnetic fields generated by theconductive pattern of the second antenna unit 360 b or radio wavestransmitted or received through the conductive pattern of the secondantenna unit 360 b may be transmitted through the second rear cover 340b. Or, the second antenna unit 360 b may be part of an inner structureformed by laser direct structuring (LDS).

Referring to FIG. 7, in the unfolded position of the electronic device300, the first housing 310 a and the second housing 310 b may bearranged so that their respective side surfaces face each other. Forexample, the side surface of the first housing 310 a and the sidesurface of the second housing 310 b may be spaced apart from each otherin a gap.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a hinge structure330 may be disposed between the first housing 310 a and the secondhousing 310 b. A portion forming the outer surface of the hingestructure 330 may be fitted into the gap, and the rest thereof may beseated on the inner surface of the first housing 310 a and/or secondhousing 310 b. The first middle plate 311 a and the second middle plate311 b may have their respective recesses in the inner surfaces to haveat least part of the hinge structure 330 seated thereon.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the flexibleprinted circuit board 390 may be disposed across the first housing 310 aand the second housing 310 b. For example, the flexible printed circuitboard 390 may extend from the first housing 310 a through the hingestructure 330 to the second housing 310 b. Connectors may be prepared atboth sides of the flexible printed circuit board 390 to make electricalconnections with the main printed circuit board 350 a disposed in thefirst housing 310 a and the sub printed circuit board 350 b disposed inthe second housing 310 b.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the hinge structure of the electronicdevice, the configuration of the flexible printed circuit board, and thestacked structure of the display assembly are described in detail.

FIG. 8 is a projection view illustrating a hinge structure 400 disposedin an electronic device 300 unfolded, according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure. FIG. 9 is a front view illustrating the hingestructure 400 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Thehinge structure 400 of the electronic device 300 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9may be the same in whole or part as the hinge structure 330 of theelectronic device 300 of FIGS. 5 to 7.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the electronic device 300 may include a first housing 310 a,a second housing 310 b, and a hinge structure 400. The hinge structure400 may couple the first housing 310 a and the second housing 310 b sothat the first housing 310 a and the second housing 310 b may rotateabout each other. For example, the first housing 310 a may be folded orunfolded about the second housing 310 b.

FIG. 8 illustrates the electronic device 300 unfolded and front-facing,wherein a first housing 310 a and a second housing 310 b, respectively,may be disposed in the right-hand and left-hand parts of the electronicdevice. A hinge structure 400 may be disposed between the first housing310 a and the second housing 310 b in the area where they partiallyoverlap. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the hingestructure 400 may include slide covers 410, dual-axis hinge modules 420,slide modules 430, rail brackets 440, slide stoppers 450, and railstoppers 460.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the slide covers410, along with the above-described rear cover (e.g., the rear covers340 a and 340 b of FIGS. 6 and 7), may cover the rear surface of theelectronic device 300, and have an inner surface that forms afront-facing seating surface on which the dual-axis hinge modules 420,rail brackets 440, slide stoppers 450, and rail stoppers 460 may beseated. There may be provided a plurality of slide covers 410. Forexample, the slide covers 410 may include a first slide cover 410 a anda second slide cover 410 b. The first slide cover 410 a may include afirst portion 411 a at least part of which is seated on the side surfaceof the first housing 310 a and a second portion 412 a that extends fromthe first portion 411 a and is disposed between the first housing 310 aand the second housing 310 b. The first portion 411 a may be shaped as aplate with multiple coupling holes to join the first housing 310 a. Thesecond portion 412 a may have an end curved along the lengthwisedirection to enable smooth rotation about at least one virtualrotational axis A1 which is formed by the dual-axis hinge module 420.

The second slide cover 410 b may include a first portion 411 b at leastpart of which is seated on the side surface of the second housing 310 band a second portion 412 b that extends from the first portion 411 b andis disposed between the first housing 310 a and the second housing 310b. The first portion 411 b may be shaped as a plate with multiplecoupling holes to join the second housing 310 b. The second portion 412b may have an end curved along the lengthwise direction to enable smoothrotation about at least one virtual rotational axis A2 which is formedby the dual-axis hinge module 420.

In the unfolded position, the second portion 412 a of the first slidecover 410 a and the second portion 412 b of the second slide cover 410 bmay be arranged to partially contact each other. As the second slidecover 410 b rotates about the first slide cover 410 a (or the firstslide cover 410 a rotates about the second slide cover 410 b), the areain which the first portion 411 a and second portion 412 a of the firstslide cover 410 a face the first portion 411 b and second portion 412 bof the second slide cover 410 b may increase.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the rail brackets440 having the slide modules 430 seated thereon may be disposed on theinner surface 401 of the slide covers 410. The rail brackets 440 may bedisposed over both ends of the slide covers 410 and may be fastened tothe slide covers 410. For example, rail brackets 440 having slidemodules 430 seated thereon may be disposed on both lengthwise ends ofthe first slide cover 410 a, and rail brackets 440 having slide modules430 seated thereon may be disposed on both lengthwise ends of the secondslide cover 410 b.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the center of therail bracket 440 disposed on one end of the first slide cover 410 may bealigned with the center of the rail bracket 440 disposed on one end ofthe second slide cover 410 b. Accordingly, when the electronic device300 is in the folded position, the rail brackets disposed on the firstslide cover 410 a may face the rail brackets 440 disposed on the secondslide cover 410 b. However, the rail brackets 440 are not limited by thearrangement described above, but may rather be arranged in other variousways corresponding to the position in which the battery (not shown) inthe first housing 310 a and/or the second housing 310 b is efficientlyseated.

As another example, the slide modules 430 may be disposed in holesformed in the rail brackets 440 to move back and forth along thelengthwise direction of the holes 441.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, dual-axis hingemodules 420 may be disposed on the inner surface 401 of the slide covers410. For example, the dual-axis hinge modules 420 may be inserted intorecesses 403 formed in the inner surface of the slide covers 410 andmay, at least partially, be surrounded by the rail brackets 440. Thedual-hinge modules 420 may be formed to have two virtual rotational axesA1 and A2, one of which may be aligned with the virtual rotational axisformed by the second portion 412 a of the first housing 310 a, and theother A2 may be aligned with the virtual rotational axis formed by thesecond portion 412 b of the second housing 310 b.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there may be aplurality of dual-axis hinge modules 420. For example, separatedual-axis hinge modules may be formed so that each of the dual-axishinge modules is positioned adjacent a corresponding one of the railbrackets disposed at both ends of the slide covers 410. As anotherexample, the dual-axis hinge modules 420 may be disposed in expandedrecesses 403 which are combinations of the recesses formed by the firstslide cover 410 a and the second slide cover 410 b. One virtualrotational axis A1 may be disposed inside the first slide cover 410 a,and the other virtual rotational axis A2 may be disposed inside thesecond slide cover 410 b.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the rail stoppers460 and the slide stoppers 450 may be deployed on the inner surface 401of the slide covers 410. At least one or more rail stoppers 460 andslide stoppers 450 may be arranged in a middle area of the slide covers410 or separately on the slide covers 410 a and 410 b, respectively.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, each slide stopper450 may be disposed to be movable between the pair of rail stoppers 460.For example, the slide stoppers 450 may move back and forth along slidelines (not shown) formed in the slide covers 410 a and 410 b to restrictmovement of the slide modules 430. As another example, the slidestoppers 450 may slide while aiding the slide modules 430, and they,alongside the hinge structure 400, allow the electronic device to remainin balance. The slide stoppers 450 are disposed between the slidemodules 430 to reinforce the electronic device.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one pairof rail stoppers 460 may be provided adjacent the dual-axis hingemodules 420. The rail stoppers 460 are arranged close to each other inthe respective portions of the first slide cover 410 a and the secondslide cover 420 a that abut each other, restricting the hinge structure400 from spanning and rotating at a predetermined angle or more. Adetailed description is given below.

Specific configurations of the dual-axis hinge modules 420, stoppers 450and 460, slide modules 430, and rail brackets 440 are sequentiallydescribed below.

FIG. 10 is a front view illustrating parts of the dual-axis hinge module500 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIGS. 11A and11B are diagrams illustrating a cross section of a gear unit 530 of thedual-axis hinge module 500 disposed in the electronic device 300according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 11A is across-sectional view illustrating the electronic device 300 partiallyfolded, and FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view illustrating theelectronic device 300 fully folded. The structure of the dual-axis hingemodule 500 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11A and 11B may be the same in whole orpart as the structure of the dual-axis hinge module 420 of FIGS. 8 and9.

Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11A and 11B, according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure, the electronic device 300 may include a firsthousing 310 a, a second housing 310 b, and a hinge structure with thedual-axis hinge module 500. The hinge structure with the dual-axis hingemodule 500 may couple the first housing 310 a and the second housing 310b so that the first housing 310 a and the second housing 310 b mayrotate about each other. For example, the first housing 310 a may befolded or unfolded about the second housing 310 b.

Referring to FIG. 10, the dual-axis hinge module 500 may include a hingehousing 510, hinge shafts 520, a gear unit 530 including at least twogears, hinge stoppers 540, stopper cams 550, moving cams 560, elasticbodies 570, and shaft stoppers 580.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, inside the hingehousing 510 may be received at least part of the hinge shafts 520, partof the cam unit (e.g., the moving cams 560 and stopper cams 550), aplurality of gears 531, 532, and 533, and the elastic bodies 570 alongvirtual hinge axes A1 and A2. For example, the dual-axis hinge module500 may include two hinge shafts 520 corresponding to two virtualrotational axes A1 and A2, and the shaft stoppers 580, elastic bodies570, stopper cams 550, and gears 531 and 532 may individually bearranged on the hinge shafts 520. As another example, the hinge stoppers540 and the moving cams 560 may have two holes through which the hingeshafts 520 pass. Hereinafter, the components arranged on one hinge shaft520 are described. The description applies to the components arranged onthe other hinge shaft.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the hinge housing510 may be divided into a first area S1 and a second area S2; the firstarea S1 may be an area where the cam unit operates, and the second areaS2 may be an area where the gear unit 530 operates.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first area S1is described. Inside the hinge housing 510 may be received theabove-described components (e.g., part of the hinge shaft 520, hingestopper 540, elastic body 570, moving cam 560, and stopper cam 550). Theelastic body 570 may expand or contract within the hinge housing 510,and the stopper cam 550 may be provided to have the hinge shaft 520 passtherethrough and to be rotatable. The moving cam 560 may move back andforth along the hinge shaft 520 as the stopper cam 550 rotates.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the hinge shaft520 may sequentially pass through the moving cam 560, the stopper cam550, and the elastic body 570. The hinge stoppers 540 may be provided atthe outsides of the moving cam 560 and the elastic body 570 to restrictrotation of the dual-axis hinge module 500. Couplers for fastening tothe hinge housing 510 may be provided in ends of the hinge stoppers 540and fastening pins may be inserted thereinto. The shaft stopper 580 maybe disposed at an end of the hinge stoppers 540 to restrict movement ofthe hinge shaft 520. As another example, the hinge stoppers 540 and theshaft stopper 580 may have holes through which the two hinge shafts 520pass to connect them together.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the elastic body570 is provided to have the hinge shaft 520 pass therethrough andapplies a force to bring the moving cam 560 and the stopper cam 550 intotight contact, thereby enabling cam motion. An end of the elastic body570 is tightly fastened to the hinge stopper 540, and the other endthereof may remain in tight contact with the moving cam 560. The elasticbody 570 may expand or contract depending on the moving back and forthof the moving cam 560 inside the hinge housing 510. For example, theelastic body 570 may be a compression coil spring.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in order for thedual-axis hinge module 500 to remain in horizontal balance, at least onehinge stopper 541 and the stopper cam 550 may come in surface-to-surfacecontact. As another example, at least one hinge stopper 542 and theshaft stopper 580 may also be brought in surface-to-surface contact tofunction as a stopper to let it balance horizontally.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the cam motion andconfigurations of the moving cam 560 and the stopper cam 550 are notlimited thereto, but rather, various types of cam motion and shapes arealso possible as per configurations commonly known.

The second area S2 is described with reference to FIGS. 11A, 11B and 12.The dual-axis hinge module 500 may include a gear unit 530 disposedadjacent the stopper cam 550 inside the hinge housing 510 and havingmultiple gears 531, 532, and 533.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the gear unit 530may include a first gear 531, a second gear 532, and at least one idlegear 533. The first gear 531 and the second gear 532 are arranged toallow the hinge shafts 520 to pass therethrough. The virtual rotationalaxes A1 and A2 may be formed from the respective centers of the gears531 and 532 to the hinge shafts 520. The idle gears 533 are disposedbetween the first gear 531 and the second gear 532 and interwork withthe first gear 531 and the second gear 532 to assist in the movement ofthe first and second gears 531 and 532. Where the idle gears 533 aredisposed in the gap between the first gear 531 and the second gear 532may serve as a benchmark for folding or unfolding the electronic device300.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first gear 531(refer to FIGS. 11A and 11B) disposed on the left-hand side may becoupled to the first hinge shaft 520 a to rotate while remaining seatedin the recess formed in the first housing 310 a. The second gear (referto FIGS. 11A and 11B) disposed on the right-hand side may be coupled tothe second hinge shaft 520 b to rotate while remaining seated in therecess formed in the second housing 310 b. As another example, theplurality of idle gears 533 may be rotated engaged with the first gear531 or the second gear 532.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the center of thefirst gear 531, along with the first hinge shaft 520 a, may form part ofthe first virtual axis A1. The center of the second gear 532, togetherwith the second hinge shaft 520 b, may form part of the second virtualaxis A2, and the second gear 532 and the first gear 531 may rotate indifferent directions. While the electronic device 300 turns from flat tofolded position, the first virtual axis A1 and the second axis A2 mayremain parallel with each other.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first gear 531and the second gear 532 may be sized to have the same diameter, andthus, the same number of teeth. The diameter of the first gear 531 andthe second gear 532 is sized not to be larger than the thickness of thefirst housing 310 a or second housing 310 b, avoiding the first andsecond gears 531 and 532 from protruding to the outside of theelectronic device 300.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of idlegears 533 may be an even number. For example, the idle gears 533 mayinclude a first idle gear 533 a and a second idle gear 533 b that arerotatable engaged with each other. The first idle gear 533 a isrotatable engaged with the first gear 531 and may rotate in a differentdirection from the first gear 531. The second idle gear 533 b isrotatable engaged with the second gear 532 and may rotate in a differentdirection from the second gear 532. The first idle gear 533 a and thesecond idle gear 533 b may have the same diameter, and they may berotated engaged with each other. Accordingly, the first gear 531, thefirst idle gear 533 a, the second idle gear 533 b, and the second gear532 may be arranged in the order thereof so that they may sequentiallybe rotated in engagement.

The slide stoppers and rail stoppers are described below.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a portion of thehinge structure 400 of FIG. 9. The rail stoppers 460 and slide stoppers450 of FIG. 12 may be wholly or partially the same in structure as therail stoppers 460 and slide stoppers 450 of FIGS. 8 and 9.

Referring to FIGS. 10 and 12, in the hinge structure 400 which is in theflat position where its inside (e.g., the areas arranged to face eachother when the electronic device is folded and facing in a differentdirection from the display assembly) is flatted and faces in the firstdirection +Z, the rail brackets 440, the dual-axis hinge module 420, therail stoppers 460, and the slide stoppers 450 are arranged in the orderthereof along the virtual hinge axes A1 and A2.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one pairof rail stoppers 460 may be provided adjacent the dual-axis hinge module420. The pair of rail stoppers 460 may be spaced apart from each otherto guide the movement of the slide stoppers 450, and each may bedisposed on a respective one of the slide covers 410 a and 410 b. Forexample, rail brackets 440 may be disposed at both lengthwise ends ofthe first slide cover 410 a, and two pairs of rail stoppers 460 may bedisposed between the rail brackets 440. Rail brackets 440 may bedisposed at both lengthwise ends of the second slide cover 410 a, andtwo pairs of rail stoppers 460 may be disposed between the rail brackets440. The rail stoppers 460 disposed on the first slide cover 410 a maybe disposed opposite the rail stoppers 460 disposed on the second slidecover 410 b.

The configuration of one rail stopper 460 disposed on the first slidecover 410 is now described, and this description may apply to the otherrail stoppers. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, acoupling hole 461 may be formed in a portion of the rail stopper 460 tofasten the rail stopper 460 to the first slide cover 410 via a couplingmember, e.g., a screw 409, and a protrusion 462 may be formed in an endof the rail stopper 460 to be seated in the recess 404 formed in theslide cover 410 a. The surface positioned opposite the protrusion 462may be formed as a curved surface 463 to derive smooth rotation of thehinge structure 400.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, one pair of railstoppers 460 disposed on the first slide cover 410 and one pair of railstoppers 460 disposed on the second slide cover 410 b are positionedopposite and close to each other so that they are brought in contactwhen the hinge structure 400 is unfolded at a predetermined angle ormore to restrict further rotation.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the slide stoppers450 may be disposed between the plurality of rail stoppers 460 on theslide covers 410 a and 410 b. The slide stoppers 450 may be disposed tobe movable between the pair of rail stoppers 460. For example, since thepair of rail stoppers 460 spaced apart guide the movement of the slidestoppers 450, the slide stoppers 450 may be restricted from moving alongthe lengthwise direction of the rail stoppers 460.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the slide stoppers450 may be disposed between each pair of rail stoppers 460. For example,two pairs of rail stoppers 460 may be disposed in a lengthwise middleportion of the first slide cover 410 a, and slide stoppers 450 may bedisposed between the rail stoppers 460 of each pair. For example, twopairs of rail stoppers 460 may be disposed in a lengthwise middleportion of the second slide cover 410 b, and slide stoppers 450 may bedisposed between the rail stoppers 460 of each pair. The slide stoppers450 disposed on the first slide cover 410 a may be disposed opposite theslide stoppers 450 disposed on the second slide cover 410 b.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, groove-shapedslide lines 408 may be formed in the positions of the slide covers 410 aand 410 b where the slide stoppers 450 are seated. The slide lines 408may be formed along the lengthwise direction of the rail stoppers 460and allow the protrusions (not shown) of the slide stoppers 450 to beplaced therein to guide the slide stoppers 450 to move along the slidelines 408. For example, the slide lines 408 may be configured as twolines arranged in parallel with each other. However, the configurationis not limited thereto, and various design changes may be made to guidethe movement of the slide stoppers 450.

The rail brackets and slide modules are described below.

FIGS. 13A and 13B are enlarged plan views illustrating a rail bracketand a slide module as shown in FIG. 9 according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure. FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional perspective view of theslide module 700 of FIG. 13A, taken along line A-A′ according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 15 is a perspective viewillustrating an example in which the slide module 700 is coupled to thefirst housing 310 a. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional perspective viewillustrating the slide module 700 of FIG. 15, taken along line B-B′,according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The rail brackets 600 and slide modules 700 of FIGS. 13A, 13B, 14, 15and 16 may wholly or partly be the same in structure as the railbrackets 440 and slide modules 430 of FIG. 9.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 13A and 13B, the hinge structure 400 mayinclude slide covers 410, dual-axis hinge modules 420, slide modules 430and 700, rail brackets 440 and 600, slide stoppers 450, and railstoppers 460. In the hinge structure 400 which is in the flat positionwhere its inside is unfolded towards the direction where the frontsurface faces, the rail brackets 440, the dual-axis hinge module 420,the rail stoppers 460, and the slide stoppers 450 are arranged in theorder thereof along the virtual hinge axes A1 and A2.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the rail brackets600 and the slide modules 700 may be independently disposed at both endsof each of the first slide cover 410 a and the second slide cover 410 b.The rail brackets 600 may be formed to be perpendicular to thelengthwise direction of the hinge structure 400, and the slide modules700 may be seated in the rail brackets 600 to move along the lengthwisedirection of the plate. Since the plurality of slide modules 700disposed on the first slide cover 410 a and the second slide cover 410 bmay be alike, the description will focus primarily on the slide module700 disposed at an end of the first slide cover and this applies to theother slide modules as well.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the rail bracket600 may be prepared in a plate shape and have a guide hole 601 to guidethe slide module 700. The slide module 700 may include a slide plate710, rollers 720, pins 730, elastic bodies 740, and roller brackets 750.The slide module 700 may perform relative motion inside the rail bracket600 fixed to the first slide cover 410 a, and such motion may compensatefor a twist and/or crumple of the display assembly that may arise whilethe electronic device turns from unfolded to folded position.

Referring to FIGS. 13A, 13B, 14 and 15, the rail bracket 600 may befastened to the first slide cover 410 a. For example, the rail bracket600 may have a first coupling hole 603, and the first slide cover 410 amay have a second coupling hole (not shown) corresponding to the firstcoupling hole 603. A coupling member, e.g., a screw, may be fitted intothe first coupling hole 603 and the second coupling hole to fasten therail bracket 600 to the first slide cover 410 a.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the rail bracket600 may include a guide hole 601 allowing the slide module 700 to moveback and forth along a third direction +P or a fourth direction −P whichis opposite to the third direction +P. For example, the length of theguide hole 601 may be formed to be larger than the length of the slidemodule 700, and the width of the guide hole 601 may be formed tocorrespond to the width of the slide plate 710 so that the slide plate710 is slidably fitted into the guide hole 601.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the slide plate710 of the slide module 700 is disposed to be movable in the guide hole601 of the rail bracket 600, and the slide plate 710 may be fastened toone surface of the first housing 310 a via a coupling member, e.g., ascrew. For example, the slide plate 710 may have a first coupling hole718, and the first housing 310 a may have a second coupling hole (notshown) corresponding to the first coupling hole 718. A coupling member,e.g., a screw 719, may be fitted into the first coupling hole 718 andthe second coupling hole to fasten the slide plate 710 to the firsthousing 310 a (refer to FIG. 15). A linear groove 711 may be formed inthe outside of the slide plate 710, corresponding to the shape of theprotrusion formed inside the guide hole 601, and at least one hole 712may be formed in the inside of the slide plate 710 to have parts forsmooth sliding arranged therein.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the roller 720,pin 730, elastic body 740, and roller bracket 750 may be disposed in thehole 712 of the slide plate 710. The roller 720 which is in acylindrical structure may rotate while aiding the slide plate 710 inmoving back and forth along a straight line, and the roller bracket 750where the roller 720 is mounted and the slide plate 710 may remainfastened to each other via the pin 730. The roller 720 of the slidemodule 700, in its structure, may rotate about the pin 730. The elasticbody 740 may expand or contract inside the hole 712.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality ofelastic bodies 740 may be disposed to apply a force that brings theroller 720 in tight contact with the inner surface of the guide hole 601of the rail bracket 600, thereby enabling sliding motion. An end of theelastic body 740 is tightly fastened to the inside of the hole 712 ofthe slide plate 710, and the other end thereof may remain in tightcontact with the roller bracket 750. The elastic body 740 may expand orcontract depending on the moving back and forth of the slide plate 710.For example, the elastic body 740 may be a compression coil spring.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the rail bracket600 may have trapezoidal notches 602 formed in the inner sides of theguide hole 601. The trapezoidal notches 602 may have surfaces inclinedtowards the inside or outside. When the rollers 720 are positioned onthe inclined surfaces of the trapezoidal notches 602 of the rail bracket600, the rollers 720 may be applied a force in a particular direction bythe tension of the elastic bodies 740. The direction in which the forceis applied may be a third direction +P or a fourth direction −Pdepending on the direction of the inclined surface. For example, asapplied a force in a particular direction by the tension of the elasticbodies 740, the user may have a feeling of adjustment (e.g., the feelingof being stuck or stopped during motion) when the slide plate 710 movesback and forth or be guided for the degree of folding or unfolding.

FIG. 13A illustrates a configuration in which the slide module 700 isdisposed on the guide hole 601 of the rail bracket 600 in the electronicdevice, and FIG. 13B illustrates a configuration in which the slidemodule 700 is disposed on the guide hole 601 of the rail bracket 600 inthe electronic device folded.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, referring to FIG.13A, in the unfolding operation, the slide plate 710 is applied a forcein the third direction +P to move along the guide hole 601 in the thirddirection +P. After the electronic device is unfolded, the rollers 720of the slide module 700 moving in the guide hole 601 may remain abuttingthe inclined surfaces of the trapezoidal notches 602. The elastic bodies740 may pressurize the rollers 720 in the directions in which therollers 720 abut the inclined surfaces, and the user may have a feelingof adjustment as the slide plate 710 moves back and forth. The displayassembly (e.g., the display assembly 1030 of FIG. 25a ) may be coupledwith the middle plates (e.g., the middle plates 311 a and 311 b of FIGS.5 and 6), and the middle plates may be coupled with the slide module 700so that the display assembly may bear variations in length correspondingto the movement of the slide module 700. For example, one surface of thedisplay assembly may ever remain flat without twists and/or crumples.

As another example, referring to FIG. 13B, in the folding operation, theslide plate 710 is applied a force in the fourth direction −P to movealong the guide hole 601 in the fourth direction −P. After theelectronic device is folded, the rollers 720 of the slide module 700moving in the guide hole 601 may remain abutting the inclined surfacesof the trapezoidal notches 602. The inclined surfaces which the rollers720 abut may have slopes opposite to the inclined surfaces which therollers 720 abut in the unfolded position. The elastic bodies 740 maypressurize the rollers 720 in the directions in which the rollers 720abut the inclined surfaces, and the user may have a feeling ofadjustment as the slide plate 710 moves back and forth. The displayassembly (e.g., the display assembly 1030 of FIG. 25c ) may be coupledwith the middle plates (e.g., the middle plates 311 a and 311 b of FIGS.5 and 6), and the middle plates may be coupled with the slide module 700so that the display assembly may bear variations in length correspondingto the movement of the slide module 700. For example, one surface of thedisplay assembly may have a sleek curve free of a twist and/or crumple.

Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16, a coupling structure between the railbracket 600 and the slide plate 710 is shown. Ridges 604 may be formedalong the third direction +P (or the fourth direction −P) inside theguide hole 601 of the rail bracket 600, and grooves 711 may be formed inthe slide plate 710 corresponding to the ridges 604 to have the ridges604 fitted thereinto.

For example, the slide plate 710 may be fastened to the rail bracket 600along the ridges and grooves not to escape off, and the grooves of theslide plate 710 each may have an angled U shape. In the rail bracket 600along the ridges and grooves, the slide plate 710 may slide back andforth.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the rail bracket600 of the slide module 700 may be fastened to the first slide cover 410a, and the slide plate 710 may be fastened to the first housing 310 a.For example, the rail bracket 600, alongside the first housing 310 a,may slide in the rail bracket 600. As set forth above, the slide module700 may be prepared to be applied a force in a particular direction bythe interacting configurations between the rollers 720 and the elasticbodies 740 due to the trapezoidal notches (e.g., the notches 602 of FIG.13), and thus, when the electronic device 300 is unfolded to becomeflat, the first housing and the second housing may be applied a force inthe outside direction (e.g., the third direction +P of FIG. 13).

Now described in greater detail are the structure and couplings of thecenter bar and multi bars of the hinge structure.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view illustrating a structure in which a centerbar 880 is disposed on one surface of a hinge structure 800 in anunfolded position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 18 is a perspective view illustrating a structure in which multibars 890 are disposed on one surface of a hinge structure 800 in a flatposition according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 19is a perspective view illustrating a side surface of the flat multi bar890 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 20 isa cross-sectional view illustrating the hinge structure of FIG. 18,according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The hinge structure 800 of FIGS. 17, 18, 19 and 20 may be the same inwhole or part as the hinge structure 400 of FIG. 9.

Referring to FIG. 17, the hinge structure 800 may include slide covers810, dual-axis hinge modules 820, slide modules 830, rail brackets 840,slide stoppers 850, and rail stoppers 860. The hinge structure 800 mayinclude the first slide cover 810 a and the second slide cover 810 b,and the dual-axis hinge modules 820 may couple the first slide cover 810a and the second slide cover 810 b to rotate about each other. Forexample, the first slide cover 810 a may be unfolded or folded about thesecond slide cover 810 b.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the center bar 880may be disposed along the lengthwise direction on one surface of thehinge structure 800 that faces in the first direction +Z. The firstslide cover 810 a and the second slide cover 810 b may be positionedopposite and parallel with each other, and the center bar 880 may bedisposed to overlap a portion of the first slide cover 810 a and aportion of the second slide cover 810 b. The center bar 880 may bedisposed along the lengthwise direction of the slide covers 810 a and810 b to be placed on portions of the dual-axis hinge modules 820, slidestoppers 850, and rail stoppers 860 which are disposed along thelengthwise direction of the slide covers 810 a and 810 b.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the center bar 80may be shaped as a bar with stepped jaws 881 and 882, which protrude inthe first direction +Z, at both ends thereof. The stepped jaws 881 and882 may be formed to correspond to the structure of the multi bars 890described below. As another example, the center bar 880 may include atleast one coupling hole 883 in the position corresponding to thecoupling hole (not shown) of the hinge structure 800 to lead to acoupling to the hinge structure 800 via, e.g., a screw. For example, thecenter bar 880 may be coupled to the dual-axis hinge modules 820disposed opposite each other with respect to the central line betweenthe slide covers 810.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the center bar 880may be fastened to one surface of the hinge structure 800, supportingthe display assembly. Accordingly, the display assembly may be preventedand/or reduced from bending inward of the electronic device. Since thestructure of the center bar 880 is able to support a side-facing portionof the display assembly when the electronic device is substantially inthe folded position, the thickness of the center bar 880 may be designedto have a variety of sizes corresponding to the side portion of thedisplay assembly.

Referring to FIGS. 18 and 19, the center bar 880 may be disposed alongthe lengthwise direction on one surface of the hinge structure 800 whichfaces in the first direction +Z, and a plurality of multi bars 890 maybe disposed with the center bar 880 therebetween. For example, the firstslide cover 810 a and the second slide cover 810 b may be positionedopposite and parallel with each other, and the center bar 880 may bedisposed to overlap a portion of the first slide cover 810 a and aportion of the second slide cover 810 b. The multi bars 890 may includea first multi bar 890 a and a second multi bar 890 b. The first multibar 890 a may be disposed on the first slide cover 810 a, and the secondmulti bar 890 b may be disposed on the second slide cover 810 b.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first multibar 890 a may be an array of multiple bars, with stepped jaws 891 a and892 a, which project in the first direction +Z, at both ends thereof.Holes 893 may be formed in an inner surface of the first multi bar 890 ato enable a coupling with the hinge structure 800. As another example,the second multi bar 890 b may be an array of multiple bars, withstepped jaws 891 b and 892 b, which project in the first direction, atboth ends thereof. Holes 893 may be formed in an inner surface of thesecond multi bar 890 b to enable a coupling with the hinge structure800.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first multibar 890 a and/or the second multi bar 890 b may have other holes 895each of which is positioned between two adjacent ones of the holes 893.The holes 895 may provide a pathway through which a flexible printedcircuit board (e.g., the flexible printed circuit board of FIG. 19)described below passes. According to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the multi bars 890 are fastened to one surface of the hingestructure 800, supporting, along with the center bar 880, the displayassembly not to bend inward of the electronic device. When theelectronic device is substantially folded, the multi bars 890, in theirstructure, may be positioned in the portion corresponding to the foldedarea formed by the display assembly, and the plurality of bars areseparated sideways, forming a curved surface. Accordingly, they maysupport the display assembly corresponding to the structure of thedisplay assembly forming the curve. Although the first multi bar 890 aand the second multi bar 890 b each are comprised of four bars, eachmulti bar is not limited thereto, but may rather be subject to variousdesign changes to have different shapes or numbers of bars to make thecurve more perfect.

Referring to FIG. 20, the structure of coupling the multi bars 890 withother components of the hinge structure 800 is shown. The holes 893 ofthe multi bars 890 may be designed in the configuration corresponding tothe shape of the rail stopper 860—for example, the holes 893 may beformed in the bottom surfaces of the multi bars 890 with L-shapedstepped jaws included. The rail stoppers 860 may be fitted into thestepped jaw-containing holes 893. For example, ridges 861 correspondingto the stepped jaw-containing holes 893 may be formed on the topsurfaces of the rail stoppers, and the ridges 861 may be fitted into theholes 893 to be prevented and/or reduced from escaping off.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, each of themultiple bars of each multi bar 890 may independently include steppedjaw-containing holes 893, and the multiple bars may stretch or contractsideways along the ridges 861 of the rail stoppers 860.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view illustrating a hinge structure 900 in afolded position according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.FIG. 22 is a perspective view illustrating a structure in which a centerbar 980 and multi bars 990 are disposed on one surface of a hingestructure 900 in a folded position according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure. FIG. 23 is a perspective view illustrating a bottomsurface of a multi bar 990 in a hinge structure 900 in a folded positionaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The hinge structure 900 of FIGS. 21, 22 and 23 may be the same in wholeor part as the hinge structure 800 of FIGS. 17 to 20.

Referring to FIG. 21, the hinge structure 900 may include slide covers910, dual-axis hinge modules 920, slide modules 930, rail brackets 940,slide stoppers 950, and rail stoppers 960. The hinge structure 900 mayinclude the first slide cover 910 a and the second slide cover 910 b,and the dual-axis hinge modules 920 may couple the first slide cover 910a and the second slide cover 910 b to rotate about each other. Forexample, the first slide cover 910 a may be unfolded or folded about thesecond slide cover 910 b.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in a foldingoperation, one surface of the first slide cover 910 a of the hingestructure 900 may be disposed opposite one surface of the second slidecover 910 b. The dual-axis hinge modules 920 disposed in the recesses ofthe first slide cover 910 a and the second slide cover 910 b may formtwo virtual rotational axes A1 and A2, and the first slide cover 910 aand the second slide cover 910 b may rotate about each other along thevirtual rotational axes A1 and A2. For example, the first slide cover910 a may rotate about the second slide cover 910 b and the firstvirtual rotational axis A1, and the second slide cover 910 b may rotateabout the first slide cover 910 a and the second virtual rotational axisA2.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in the foldingoperation, the slide modules 930 and the rail stoppers 960 disposed onthe first slide cover 910 a and the second slide cover 910 b may bedisposed opposite each other.

Referring to FIGS. 21 and 22, the state of the center bar 980 and multibars 990 disposed on the hinge structure 900 folded being varied and theoperation of the slide modules 930 may be illustrated.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the center bar 980and a plurality of multi bars 990 may be disposed along the lengthwisedirection on one surface of the hinge structure 900 that faces in thefirst direction +Z. The cooperation beam 980 may be disposed so that itswhole area faces in the first direction +Z, and the multi bars 990 maybe disposed to form a curved surface from the first direction +Z to thethird direction +Z or fourth direction −Z which is perpendicular to thefirst direction +Z.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the multi bars 990may include a first multi bar 990 a and a second multi bar 980 b withthe center bar 980 disposed therebetween. The first multi bar 990 a maybe disposed on the first slide cover 910 a, and the second multi bar 990b may be disposed on the second slide cover 910 b.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in the foldingoperation of the hinge structure 900, the plurality of bars comprisingthe first multi bar 990 a are arranged from the first direction +Z tothe third direction +X, and their cross section may be shaped as a fan.Each of the bars comprising the first multi bar 990 a may be designed sothat its outer surface is longer in width than its inner surface, andits cross section may be shaped as a trapezoid. The plurality of barscomprising the first multi bar 990 a are positioned, when folded, sothat their respective inner surfaces are brought in contact with eachother while their respective outer surfaces are relatively spaced awayfrom each other, forming a curved surface.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in the foldingoperation of the hinge structure 900, the plurality of bars comprisingthe second multi bar 990 b are arranged from the first direction +Z tothe fourth direction −X, and their cross section may be shaped as a fan.Each of the bars comprising the second multi bar 990 b may be designedso that its outer surface is longer in width than its inner surface, andits cross section may be shaped as a trapezoid. The plurality of barscomprising the second multi bar 990 b are positioned, when folded, sothat their respective inner surfaces are brought in contact with eachother while their respective outer surfaces are relatively spaced awayfrom each other, forming a curved surface.

Referring to FIG. 23, the structure of coupling the multi bars 990 withthe rail stoppers 960 of the hinge structure is shown. The holes 993 ofthe multi bars 990 may be designed in the configuration corresponding tothe shape of the ridges of the rail stopper 960—for example, the holes993 may be formed in the bottom surfaces of the multi bars 990 withprojecting stepped jaws included. The rail stoppers 960 may be fittedinto the stepped jaw-containing holes 993. Although the plurality ofbars of the multi bars 990 transform into the fan shape as theelectronic device folds, the ridges 961 on the top surface of the railstopper 860 may remain fitted to the holes 993, prevented and/or reducedfrom escaping off.

FIG. 24A is a top view illustrating a hinge structure 1000 disposedbetween the first housing 1001 and the second housing 1002 with theslide covers 1010 a and 1010 b excluded, according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure. FIG. 24B is a top view illustrating thestructure of FIG. 26 with the slide covers 1010 a and 1010 b arranged,according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The hinge structure 1000 of FIGS. 24A and 24B may be the same in wholeor part as the hinge structure 1000 of FIGS. 17 to 23.

Referring to FIG. 24A, when the first housing 1001 and the secondhousing 1002 are position parallel with each other, in the structurewith the slide covers (the slide covers 1010 a and 1010 b of FIG. 24B)excluded, the side surfaces of the center bar 1080 and multi bars 1090disposed at the outsides of the first housing 1001 and the secondhousing 1002 may be exposed to the outside. The couplings between theexposed center bar 1080 and the dual-axis hinge modules 1020 areexposed, resulting in easier infiltration of foreign bodies and adeterioration of the aesthetic appearance. As another example, as aplurality of bars whose both ends are shaped as trapezoids are arrangedin the exposed multi bars 1090, gaps 1003 may be left therebetween. Thegaps 1003, when exposed to the outside, may be readily subject toinfiltration of foreign bodies and a deterioration of its look in termsof aestheticism.

Referring to FIG. 24B, the hinge structure 1000 may be implemented whichincludes the slide covers 1010 a and 1010 b to prevent and/or reduceexposure to the outside of the center bar 1080, multi bars 1090, anddual-axis hinge modules that would otherwise be exposed to the outside.The slide covers 1010 a and 1010 b may provide air-tight sealing,against the outside, for the couplings of the center bar 1080 anddual-axis hinge modules 1020 and the gaps formed by the multi bars 1090,preventing and/or reducing infiltration of foreign bodies and achievinga more aesthetic look.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the slide covers1010 a and 1010 b may include the first slide cover 1010 a disposed inthe first housing 1001 and the second slide cover 1010 b disposed in thesecond housing 1002. The slide covers 1010 a and 1010 b may berestricted by the hinge shafts 1021 a and 1021 b and rotate along thevirtual rotational axes formed in the lengthwise directions of the hingeshafts 1021 a and 1021 b. Where the electronic device is unfolded andremains flat, the first slide cover 1010 a and the second slide cover1010 b may also remain parallel with each other. Where the electronicdevice is folded, the first slide cover 1010 a and the second slidecover 1010 b may slide and move.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first slidecover 1010 a may include a first portion 1011 a at least part of whichis seated on the side surface of the first housing 1001 and a secondportion 1012 a that extends from the first portion 1011 a and isdisposed between the first housing 1001 and the second housing 1002. Thesecond portion 1012 a may protrude beyond the first portion 1011 atowards the hinge shaft 1021 a, and as the electronic device is unfoldedand folded, it may be moved in a direction perpendicular to the hingeshaft 1021 a. As another example, the second portion 1012 a may have anend curved along the lengthwise direction to enable smooth rotationabout the rotational axis formed by the hinge shaft 1021 a.

As another example, the second slide cover 1010 b may include a firstportion 1011 b at least part of which is seated on the side surface ofthe second housing 1002 and a second portion 1012 b that extends fromthe first portion 1011 b and is disposed between the first housing 1001and the second housing 1002. The second portion 1012 b may protrudebeyond the first portion 1011 b towards the hinge shaft 1021 b, and asthe electronic device is unfolded and folded, it may be moved in adirection perpendicular to the hinge shaft 1021 b. As another example,the second portion 1012 b may have an end curved along the lengthwisedirection to enable smooth rotation about the rotational axis formed bythe hinge shaft 1021 b.

The rotational state of an electronic device with a hinge structure isdescribed below.

FIGS. 25A, 25B and 25C are perspective views sequentially illustratingthe operation of an electronic device 1000 with a hinge structure 1040that transforms from an unfolded to a folded position, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. FIGS. 26A, 26B and 26C arecross-sectional views sequentially illustrating the operation of theelectronic device 1000 that transforms from an unfolded to a foldedposition, where a side thereof has been cut away, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIGS. 25a , 25B, 25C,26A, 26B and 26C, the electronic device 1000 with the hinge structure1040 may be the same in whole or part as the electronic device 1000 withthe hinge structure 1040 of FIGS. 17 to 23.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in the electronicdevice 1000, a first virtual rotational axis A1 and a second virtualrotational axis A2 may be formed via the structure of dual-axis hingemodules (e.g., the dual-axis hinge modules 820 of FIG. 17) disposedinside the hinge structure 1040. The first housing 1001 may have thefirst virtual rotational axis A1 and rotate around the first virtualrotational axis A1. As another example, the second housing 1002 may havethe second virtual rotational axis A2 and rotate about the secondvirtual rotational axis A2.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, as the firsthousing 1001 and the second housing 1002 rotate about different hingeaxes (e.g., the first virtual rotational axis A1 and the second virtualrotational axis A2), the first housing 1001 may rotate about the secondhousing 1002 at an angle from 0 degrees to 180 degrees. For ease ofdescription, the angle from 0 degrees to 180 degrees may be the angle ofthe first housing 1001 with respect to the second housing 1002. In thisdisclosure, the following states may be defined for illustrationpurposes: a first state in which the angle between the first housing1001 and the second housing 1002 is 180 degrees, a second state in whichthe angle between the first housing 1001 and the second housing 1002 ismore than 0 degrees and less than 180 degrees, and a third state inwhich the angle between the first housing 1001 and the second housing1002 is 0 degrees. However, although the angle between the first housing1001 and the second housing 1002 is 180 degrees in the first state and 0degrees in the third state, embodiments of the present disclosure arenot limited thereto. For example, the first state may be a state inwhich the electronic device is substantially unfolded so that the firsthousing 1001 and the second housing 1002 are positioned substantiallyparallel with each other (e.g., the angle between the two housings issubstantially 180 degrees), and the third state may be a state in whichthe electronic device is folded so that the first housing 1001 and thesecond housing 1002 are positioned substantially opposite each other(e.g., the angle between the two housings is substantially 0 degrees).One state between the first state and the third state may be the secondstate.

Referring to FIGS. 25A and 26A, the electronic device unfolded may bedefined as being in the first state where the first housing 1001 and thesecond housing 1002 are flat with respect to each other. The anglebetween the first housing 1001 and the second housing 1002 is 180degrees, and the angle between the first slide cover (parts disposed onthe first slide cover) of the hinge structure 1040 and the second slidecover (parts disposed on the second slide cover) may be 180 degreesaccordingly.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in the firststate, the first surface 1011 of the first housing 1001 and the thirdsurface 1021 of the second housing 1002 may be disposed side-by-sidewhile facing in the same direction, and the second surface 1012 of thefirst housing 1001 and the fourth surface 1022 of the second housing1002 may also be disposed side-by-side (opposite the first surface 1011and the third surface 1021) while facing in the same direction. Forexample, the first surface 1011 of the first housing 1001 may bedisposed to face in the first direction +Z, and the third surface 1021of the second housing 1002 may be disposed to face in the firstdirection +Z. Further, the second surface 1012 of the first housing 1001may be disposed to face in the second direction −Z, and the fourthsurface 1022 of the second housing 1002 may be disposed to face in thethird direction −Z.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the displayassembly 1030 may be disposed to extend from the first housing 1001through the hinge structure 1040 to the second housing 1002, and thedisplay assembly 1030 may be disposed to face in the first direction +Zin the first state.

In the electronic device being unfolded, the first housing 1001 and thesecond housing 1002 may be applied a force that faces externally (e.g.,a force facing in the P3 direction and P4 direction or a force facing inthe third direction +X and fourth direction −X). For example, the P3direction may be a direction from the hinge structure 1040 to thedisplay assembly 1030 disposed in the first housing 1001, and the P4direction may be a direction from the hinge structure 1040 to thedisplay assembly disposed in the second housing 1002.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first housing1001 and the second housing 1002 may receive a force (e.g., a forcefacing in the P3 direction and P4 direction) towards the outside fromthe neutral surface of the display assembly 1030 by the tension of theelastic bodies (the elastic bodies 740 of FIG. 13) disposed inside theslide modules (e.g., the slide modules 700 of FIG. 13) in the hingestructure 1040 disposed inside the electronic device 1000. Accordingly,the slide plates (e.g., the slide plates 710 of FIG. 13) may be disposedoutside of the guide holes of the rail brackets (e.g., the rail brackets600 of FIG. 13).

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the displayassembly 1030 coupled with the slide modules via the housings may becontrolled for its varying length as the slide modules operate. Forexample, the length of the unfolded electronic device along the +X and−X axes may be relatively smaller than the length of the foldedelectronic device along the +X and −X axes. Accordingly, the displayassembly disposed in the electronic device unfolded may be subject to adeformation, e.g., floating. To prevent and/or reduce such deformation,the display assembly, along with the slide modules, may move to theoutside (e.g., in the P3 direction and P4 direction) from the neutralsurface. The display assembly 1030 whose varying length has beencontrolled may ever remain flat while delivering an even quality ofscreen to the user.

Referring to FIGS. 25B and 26B, one state of the first housing 1001 andthe second housing 1002 while transforming between the flat and foldedposition may be defined as the second state. The angle between the firsthousing 1001 and the second housing 1002 may be more than 0 degrees andless than 180 degrees, and the angle between the first slide cover(parts disposed on the first slide cover) of the hinge structure 1040and the second slide cover (parts disposed on the second slide cover)may be more than 0 degrees and less than 180 degrees accordingly.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in the secondstate, the first surface 1011 of the first housing 1001 and the thirdsurface 1021 of the second housing 1002 may be disposed to have apredetermined angle (more than 0 degrees and less than 180 degrees)therebetween, and the second surface 1012 of the first housing 1001 andthe fourth surface 1022 of the second housing 1002 may also be disposedto have a predetermined angle (more than 0 degrees and less than 180degrees) therebetween. For example, the first surface 1011 of the firsthousing 1001 and the third surface 1021 of the second housing 1002 maybe positioned to form the Greek letter ‘A’ with respect to the standingsurface. As another example, the first surface 1011 of the first housing1001 and the third surface 1021 of the second housing 1002 may bedisposed to have substantially 90 degrees therebetween, and the thirdsurface 1021 of the second housing 1002 may be disposed to face in thefirst direction +Z while the first surface 1011 of the first housing1001 may be disposed to be angled by substantially 90 degrees withrespect to the third surface 1021. As another example, the first surface1011 of the first housing 1001 may be disposed to face in the firstdirection +Z, and the third surface 1021 of the second housing 1002 maybe disposed to be angled by substantially 90 degrees with respect to thefirst surface 1011.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the displayassembly 1030 may be disposed from the first housing 1001 through thehinge structure 1040 to the second housing 1002. In the second state,the display assembly may be positioned in the direction in which thefirst surface of the first housing 1001 faces, the direction in whichthe third surface 1021 of the second housing 1002 faces, and thedirection in which the hinge structure 1040 with multiple folding linesfaces. For example, the display assembly 1030 disposed on the hingestructure 1040 may form a curved surface.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in the electronicdevice transforming from the unfolded to folded position, the firsthousing 1001 and the second housing 1002 may be applied a force thatfaces internally (e.g., a force facing in the P1 direction and P2direction). For example, the P1 direction may be a direction from thedisplay assembly 1030 disposed in the first housing 1001 to the hingestructure 1040, and the P2 direction may be a direction from the displayassembly 1030 disposed in the second housing 1002 to the hinge structure1040. As another example, the P1 direction may be opposite to the P3direction, and the P2 direction may be opposite to the P4 direction.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first housing1001 and the second housing 1002 may receive a force (e.g., a forcefacing in the P1 direction and P2 direction) towards the inside from theneutral surface of the display assembly 1030 by the tension of theelastic bodies (the elastic bodies 740 of FIG. 13) disposed inside theslide modules (e.g., the slide modules 700 of FIG. 13) in the hingestructure 1040 disposed inside the electronic device 1000. Accordingly,the slide plates (e.g., the slide plates 710 of FIG. 13) may be disposedinside along the guide holes of the rail brackets (e.g., the railbrackets 600 of FIG. 13).

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the displayassembly 1030 coupled with the slide modules via the housings may becontrolled for its varying length as the slide modules operate. Forexample, the top-to-bottom length of the electronic device in theunfolded position may be relatively smaller than in the folded position.As the electronic device folds, the display assembly disposed in theelectronic device may receive a force that pulls up from both sides,causing its portion to deform due to expansion. To prevent and/or reducesuch deformation, the display assembly, along with the slide modules,may move to the neutral surface (e.g., in the P1 direction and P2direction). The display assembly 1030 whose varying length has beencontrolled may ever remain flat while delivering an even quality ofscreen to the user.

Referring to FIGS. 25C and 26C, the electronic device may be defined asbeing in the third state where the first housing 1001 and the secondhousing 1002 are folded about each other. The angle between the firsthousing 1001 and the second housing 1002 is 0 degrees, and the anglebetween the first slide cover (parts disposed on the first slide cover)of the hinge structure 1040 and the second slide cover (parts disposedon the second slide cover) may be 0 degrees accordingly.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in the thirdstate, the first surface 1011 of the first housing 1001 and the thirdsurface 1021 of the second housing 1002 may be disposed opposite eachother, and the second surface 1012 of the first housing 1001 and thefourth surface 1022 of the second housing 1002 may also be disposedopposite each other. For example, the first surface 1011 of the firsthousing 1001 may be disposed to face in the third direction +X, and thethird surface 1021 of the second housing 1002 may be disposed to face inthe fourth direction −X. Further, the second surface 1012 of the firsthousing 1001 may be disposed to face in the fourth direction −X, and thefourth surface 1022 of the second housing 1002 may be disposed to facein the third direction +X. Accordingly, only the first surface 1011 andthird surface 1021 where the display assembly 1030 has been exposed maybe exposed to the user.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the displayassembly 1030 may be disposed from the first housing 1001 through thehinge structure 1040 to the second housing 1002. In the third state, theportion disposed in the first housing 1001 may be disposed to face inthe third direction +X while the portion disposed in the second housing1002 may be disposed to face in the fourth direction −X. As anotherexample, the portion disposed on the hinge structure 1040 may bedisposed to form a curved surface along the third direction +X and/orthe fourth direction −X with respect to the first direction +Z.

In the electronic device being folded, the first housing 1001 and thesecond housing 1002 may be applied a force that faces internally (e.g.,a force facing in the P1 direction and P2 direction or a force facing inthe first direction +Z). For example, the P1 direction may be adirection from the display assembly 1030 disposed in the first housing1001 to the hinge structure 1040, and the P2 direction may be adirection from the display assembly 1030 disposed in the second housing1002 to the hinge structure 1040. As another example, the P1 directionmay be opposite to the P3 direction, and the P2 direction may beopposite to the P4 direction.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first housing1001 and the second housing 1002 may receive a force (e.g., a forcefacing in the P1 direction and P2 direction) towards the inside from theneutral surface of the display assembly 1030 by the tension of theelastic bodies (the elastic bodies 740 of FIG. 13) disposed inside theslide modules (e.g., the slide modules 700 of FIG. 13) in the hingestructure 1040 disposed inside the electronic device 1000. Accordingly,the slide plates (e.g., the slide plates 710 of FIG. 13) may be disposedinside along the guide holes of the rail brackets (e.g., the railbrackets 600 of FIG. 13).

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the displayassembly 1030 coupled with the slide modules via the housings may becontrolled for its varying length as the slide modules operate. Thedisplay assembly 1030 whose varying length has been controlled may everremain flat while delivering an even quality of screen to the user. Forexample, by the varying structure of the multi bars (e.g., the multibars 890 of FIG. 18) supporting the display assembly 1030 and theoperational structure of the slide modules allowing the housings toslide, the display assembly disposed over the first housing 1001 and thesecond housing 1002 may be restricted for deformation even in the foldedor unfolded position while remaining flat and wrinkle-free all the time.

FIG. 27 is a diagram illustrating a state of a main flexible printedcircuit board 1030 disposed inside a housing 1110 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 28 is a cross-sectional viewof the main flexible printed circuit board 1030 disposed in theelectronic device 1100 which is in the flat position, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 29 is a cross-sectionalview of the main flexible printed circuit board 1030 disposed in theelectronic device 1100 which is in the folded position, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 27, 28 and 29, the structure of the first housing1110 a and the second housing 1110 b may be the same in whole or part asthe structure of the first housing 310 a and the second housing 310 b ofFIGS. 5 to 7.

Referring to FIG. 27, the electronic device 1110 may include the firsthousing 1110 a, the second housing 1110 b, the hinge structure 1020, anda flexible printed circuit board 1030. The hinge structure 1020 maycouple the first housing 1110 with the second housing 1110 b so thatthey may rotate about each other. For example, the first housing 1110 amay be folded or unfolded about the second housing 1110 b. The flexibleprinted circuit board 1030 may electrically connect the circuit partsdisposed on the first housing 1110 a and the second housing 1110 b.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the flexibleprinted circuit board 1030 may be disposed across the first housing 1110a and the second housing 1110 b. For example, the flexible printedcircuit board 1030 may extend from the first housing 1110 a through thehinge structure 1020 to the second housing 1110 b. Connectors 1031 and1032 may be prepared at both sides of the flexible printed circuit board1030 to make electrical connections with the main printed circuit board1051 disposed in the first housing 1110 a and the sub printed circuitboard 1052 disposed in the second housing 1110 b.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the flexibleprinted circuit board 1030 may include a straight portion and a curvedportion. The flexible printed circuit board 1030 may include at leastone signal line which may include, for example, and without limitation,a power line, a ground line, and digital and analog signal lines, or thelike.

Referring to FIG. 28, the flexible printed circuit board 1030 disposedinside the electronic device 1100 unfolded may be shown. The flexibleprinted circuit board 1030 passing through the area where the hingestructure 1020 is disposed may be disposed between the surface where thecenter bar 1080 or multi bars 1090 of the hinge structure 1020 aredisposed and the inside surface of the hinge structure 1020. A hole(e.g., the hole 895 of FIG. 19) may be formed at the lengthwise centerof the multi bars 1090 in the inside where the flexible printed circuitboard 1030 may traverse.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, as the electronicdevice 1100 unfolds to become flat or folds, the space where theflexible printed circuit board 1030 increases or decreases, influencingthe flexible printed circuit board 1030. For example, the flexibleprinted circuit board 1030 disposed in the electronic device 1100unfolded may remain the flattest. On the other hand, the flexibleprinted circuit board 1030 disposed in the electronic device 1100 foldedmay be disposed in the space which is relatively narrow lengthwise.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the flexibleprinted circuit board 1030 may be coupled to a portion of the electronicdevice 1100 so that the position where it is overall mounted is notvaried by the transformation of the electronic device 1100. The flexibleprinted circuit board 1030 may include a first portion 1033 coupled withone surface of the center bar 1080, a second portion 1034 coupled withthe first slide cover 1021 a disposed on the first housing 1110 a, and athird portion 1035 coupled with the second slide cover 1021 b disposedon the second housing 1110 b. As another example, free motion may beachieved with no coupling made to the electronic device 1100 between thefirst portion 1033 and the second portion 1034 and/or between the firstportion 1033 and the third portion 1035.

Referring to FIG. 29, the flexible printed circuit board 1030 disposedinside the electronic device 1100 folded may be shown. The flexibleprinted circuit board 1030 passing through the area where the hingestructure 1020 is disposed may be disposed between the surface where thecenter bar 1080 or multi bars 1090 are disposed and the hinge structure1020.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the flexibleprinted circuit board 1030 disposed in the electronic device 1100 whenthe electronic device 1100 is in the folded position may be disposed ina relatively small space as compared with when the electronic device1100 is in the flat position, so that a portion of the flexible printedcircuit board 1030 may be bent towards the inner space 1101 or 1102. Theinner space 1101 or 1102 disposed in the first housing 1110 a or thesecond housing 1110 b may prevent and/or reduce disconnection of thesignal lines disposed in the flexible printed circuit board 1030.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first portion1033 of the flexible printed circuit board 1030 disposed in the foldedelectronic device 1100 may be coupled to one surface of the center bar1080, the second portion 1034 may be coupled to the first slide cover1021 a disposed on the first housing 1110 a, and the third portion 1035may remain coupled with the second slide cover 1021 b disposed on thesecond housing 1110 b. As another example, the area between the firstportion 1033 and second portion 1034 of the flexible printed circuitboard 1030 may form a curve that faces in the second direction −Z in theinner space 1101 disposed in the first housing 1110 a. The area betweenthe first portion 1033 and third portion 1035 of the flexible printedcircuit board 1030 may form a curve that faces in the first direction +Zin the inner space 1102 disposed in the second housing 1110 b.

FIG. 30 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a stacked structure of adisplay assembly 1200 according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. FIG. 31 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a variationto a stacked structure of a display assembly 1200 disposed in anelectronic device folded, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 30 and 31, the structure of the electronic device anddisplay assembly 1200 may be the same in whole or part as the structureof the electronic device 200 or display assembly 220 of FIG. 2.According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronicdevice 200 may include a housing 210 and a display assembly 220 or 1200.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 30, and 31, various films for coupling to thehousings 210 may be stacked on the bottom surface of the displayassembly 1200 disposed in the housings 210.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in the displayassembly 1200, a display module 1210, a first adhesive member 1220, asupporting member 1230, an elastic member 1240, and a second adhesivemember 1250 may sequentially be disposed in the order thereof along thesecond direction −Z. As an example, the display module 1210 may includea window member 1211, a touch panel 1212, and a display panel 1213 thatare sequentially disposed in the order thereof along the seconddirection −Z. The window member 1211 may form the outer appearance ofthe electronic device, and the window member 1211 may contain, e.g.,polyimide film (PI). The display panel 1213 (e.g., OLED) may be mountedon an inner surface of the window member 1211. The touch panel 1212 maybe disposed between the window member 1211 and the display panel 1213.For example, the display module 1210 may be utilized as an input deviceequipped with touchscreen functionality, not alone as an output devicefor outputting screen. According to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the display module 1210 may include a separate digitizerpanel (not shown), as an input panel, on the rear surface of the displaypanel 1213. For example, the digitizer panel may detect a handwritingthat is made by an input module (e.g., a pen) while communicating withthe electronic device 300 in a wired or wireless manner, and thedigitizer panel may deliver the detected handwriting to the electronicdevice.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the variety offilms stacked on the bottom surface of the display module 1210 may bedisposed on the first bracket (e.g., the first bracket 312 a of FIG. 5)of the first housing 210 and the second bracket (e.g., the secondbracket 312 b of FIG. 5) of the second housing 210 and may maintainadhesivity on the folding hinge structure 230 without deterioratingsurface quality.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the elastic member1240 may be disposed between the multi bar 1280 and the display module1210 and may be used to form a uniform surface between the displaymodule 1210 and the multi bars 1280 that form a curved surface as theelectronic device folds. For example, the multi bar 1280 may form a flatsurface in the electronic device in the flat position and a curvedsurface in the electronic device in the folded position. Since the multibar 1280 is formed as straight bars, the curved surface formed uponfolding may leave a gap 1201 from the opposite surface where they aresubstantially stacked. Where the elastic member 1240 formed of anelastic material is disposed on one surface of the multi bar 1280, acompensation may be made to remove the gap 1201, preventing and/orreducing the display module 1210 disposed on the multi bar 1280 fromcrumpling and resultantly enhancing the surface quality of the displayassembly 1200.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the elastic member1240 may be disposed on the whole surface where the multi bar 1280 isdisposed, and the elastic member 1240 may contain various elasticmaterials, e.g., rub or sponge.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the supportingmember 1230 may be disposed between the display module 1210 and theelastic member 1240, mitigating defective factors, e.g., air bubbles, ofthe elastic member 1240. For example, where the elastic member 1240alone is in use, the air bubbles of the elastic member 1240 mayinfiltrate into the inside the display module 1210, likely deterioratingthe surface quality of display. Where the supporting member 1230 isstacked on one surface of the elastic member 1240, the supporting member1230 may cover the air pores of the elastic member 1240, preventingand/or reducing infiltration of air bubbles.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the supportingmember 1230 may be disposed on the overall surface where the multi bar1280 is placed, and the supporting member 1230 may be formed of amaterial flexible and with low roughness to make the surface even, evenupon folding. For example, the supporting member 1230 may include, forexample, and without limitation, a polyimide film (PI) or polyurethanefilm (PU), or the like.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first adhesivemember 1220 may be disposed between the display module 1210 and thesupporting member 1230 to attach the display module 1210 and thesupporting member 1230. The first adhesive member 1220 may be formed ofvarious materials unlikely to damage surfaces that are attached at roomtemperature under low pressure, such as, for example, and withoutlimitation, pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA), or the like.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the secondadhesive member 1250 may be disposed between the elastic member 1240 andthe multi bar 1280 to attach the elastic member 1240 and the multi bar1280. The second adhesive member 1250 may be formed of various materialsunlikely to damage surfaces that are attached at room temperature underlow pressure, e.g., pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA).

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the displayassembly 1200 configured of composite films arranged and stacked on thebottom surface of the display module 1210 may maintain adhesivitywithout deteriorating the quality of surface that is bend on the foldinghinge structure 230.

According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, anelectronic device may comprise a foldable housing structure including afirst housing structure including a first surface and a second surface,a second housing structure including a third surface and a fourthsurface, and a connection structure connected between the first housingstructure and the second housing structure, including a fifth surfaceand a sixth surface, and configured to be bendable to allow the secondsurface to face the fourth surface when the connection surface is fullybent, a flexible touchscreen display assembly extending along the firstsurface, the fifth surface, and the third surface, a first slidingstructure including a first rail bracket connected with the connectionstructure and extending from the first structure to the connectionstructure in a first direction, and a first slide module positionedinside the first rail bracket, connected with the first housingstructure, and movable in the first direction when the connectionstructure is bent, and a second sliding structure including a secondrail bracket connected with the connection structure and extending fromthe second structure to the connection structure in a second directionand a second slide module positioned inside the second rail bracket,connected with the second housing structure, and movable in the seconddirection when the connection structure is bent.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronicdevice may further comprise a third sliding structure including a thirdrail bracket connected with the connection structure and extendingparallel with the first rail bracket and a third slide module positionedinside the third rail bracket, connected with the first housingstructure, and movable in the first direction when the connectionstructure is bent and a fourth sliding structure including a fourth railbracket connected with the connection structure and extending parallelwith the second rail bracket and a fourth slide module positioned insidethe fourth rail bracket, connected with the second housing structure,and movable in the second direction when the connection structure isbent.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first railbracket may include an inner surface facing in a third directionperpendicular to the first surface and perpendicular to the firstdirection and at least one recess in the inner surface, and the firstslide module may include at least one elastic member that moves to theinside of the at least one recess while the first slide module moves inthe first direction.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the display mayinclude a first area. The first area may include an organic lightemitting display (OLED) layer, a foam layer disposed between the OLEDlayer and the first housing structure, and a polyimide layer disposedbetween the foam layer and the OLED layer.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the display mayfurther include a second area. The second area may include an organiclight emitting display (OLED) layer, a foam layer disposed between theOLED layer and the second housing structure, and a polyimide layerdisposed between the foam layer and the OLED layer.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the display mayfurther include a third area connected between the first area and thesecond area. The third area may include an organic light emittingdisplay (OLED) layer, a foam layer disposed between the OLED layer andthe sixth surface, and a polyimide layer disposed between the foam layerand the OLED layer.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronicdevice may comprise a first housing including a first surface and asecond surface facing in a direction opposite to the first surface, asecond housing including a third surface and a fourth surface facing ina direction opposite to the third surface, a hinge structure disposedbetween the first housing and the second housing to provide rotationalmotion between the first housing and the second housing, and a flexibledisplay assembly disposed from the first surface of the first housingthrough the hinge structure to the third surface of the second housing,at least part of the flexible display assembly forming a curved surfaceas the hinge structure is folded.

The hinge structure may include dual-axis hinge modules providing afirst rotational axis allowing the first housing to rotate about thesecond housing and a second rotational axis allowing the second housingto rotate about the first housing and slide modules coupled with thefirst housing and the second housing to provide sliding motionperpendicular to a lengthwise direction of the first housing and thesecond housing.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the flexibledisplay assembly may include a first area disposed in at least part of afirst surface of the first housing, a second area disposed in at leastpart of a front surface of the second housing, and a third areaextending from the first area and the second area and disposed in atleast part of an outer surface of the hinge structure. Corresponding tofolding of the electronic device, the first area may rotate about thesecond area, and a virtual folding line forming the curved surface maybe disposed in the third area.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the slide modulesmay include a first slide module and a second slide module. The firstslide module may be connected with the first housing, and the secondslide module may be connected with the second housing. When the firsthousing is folded about the second housing, the first slide module andthe second slide module may slide towards the third area of the flexibledisplay assembly.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the slide modulesmay include a first slide module and a second slide module. The firstslide module may be connected with the first housing, and the secondslide module is connected with the second housing. When the firsthousing and the second housing are positioned in parallel with eachother, the first slide module and the second slide module may slide awayfrom the third area of the flexible display assembly.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the hingestructure may include a first slide cover and a second slide covercovering at least part of a rear surface of the electronic device, thedual-axis hinge modules disposed in recesses formed in the first slidecover and the second slide cover and providing a virtual rotational axisand another virtual rotational axis to the first slide cover and thesecond slide cover, respectively, rail brackets each fastened to arespective one of the respective inner surfaces of the first slide coverand the second slide cover, and the slide modules sliding along guideholes formed in the rail brackets.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the hingestructure may further include a pair of rail stoppers coupled to therespective inner surfaces of the first slide cover and the second slidecover and restricting rotational motion of the first slide cover and thesecond slide cover and slide stoppers disposed between the pair of railstoppers and movable along slide lines disposed inside the slide covers.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the slide moduleseach may include a slide plate including at least one hole having anopening at a side thereof, a roller disposed in the hole, exposedtowards the opening, and rotating in contact with a side surface of therail bracket, at least one elastic body disposed inside the hole andproviding tension to allow the roller to face the rail bracket, and abracket supporting the elastic body and the roller.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the rail bracketseach may include at least one trapezoidal notch formed in an inner sideof the guide hole. The roller of the slide module which moves in theguide hole may receive a force to pressurize from the elastic body toaccelerate or decelerate along a direction of an inclined surface of thetrapezoidal notch.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the slide modulesmay include a first slide module and a second slide module. The firstslide module may be connected with the first housing, and the secondslide module may be connected with the second housing.

When the first housing is unfolded about the second housing, the rollerdisposed in the first slide module and the roller disposed in the secondslide module may be positioned to abut the inclined surfaces of thetrapezoidal notches. The elastic bodies may provide forces to therollers in directions along which the rollers abut the inclinedsurfaces.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first area ofthe display assembly may be connected with the first slide module, andthe second area of the display assembly may be connected with the secondslide module. Corresponding to movements of the first slide module andthe second slide module, the first area and the second area may receiveforces that face in directions opposite to the third area, and the firstarea, the second area, and the third area may form surfaces positionedparallel with each other.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the slide modulesmay include a first slide module and a second slide module. The firstslide module may be connected with the first housing, and the secondslide module may be connected with the second housing.

When the first housing is folded about the second housing, the rollerdisposed in the first slide module and the roller disposed in the secondslide module may be positioned to abut the inclined surfaces of thetrapezoidal notches. The elastic bodies may provide forces to therollers in directions along which the rollers abut the inclinedsurfaces.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first area ofthe display assembly may be connected with the first slide module, andthe second area of the display assembly may be connected with the secondslide module. Corresponding to movements of the first slide module andthe second slide module, the first area and the second area may receiveforces that face the third area, and the third area which is disposed inone surface of the hinge structure may remain an even curved surface.The slide plate may be coupled to an inner surface of the first housingor the second housing. The first housing or the second housing may moveback and forth corresponding to a movement of the slide module.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a ridge protrudingin a lengthwise direction may be formed in the inner side of the guidehole of the rail bracket, and a groove corresponding to the protrudingridge may be formed in the slide plate, so that the ridge fits into thegroove.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the hingestructure may include a center bar disposed in a middle of an outersurface of the hinge structure and supporting the flexible displayassembly and multi bars disposed at both sides of the center bar andtransforming the third area of the flexible display assembly into thecurved surface.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the multi bars mayinclude a first multi bar and a second multi bar disposed opposite eachother with the center bar disposed therebetween. The first multi bar andthe second multi bar each may include an array of a plurality of bars.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the bars of eachmulti bar, each, may be formed so that an outer surface thereof islonger in width than an inner surface thereof. When the electronicdevice is folded, the respective inner surfaces of the bars may contacteach other, and the respective outer surfaces of the bars may be spacedaway from each other.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an inner surfaceof each multi bar may have a hole formed corresponding to a shape of anouter surface of the rail stopper to be coupled with the rail stopper.The multi bar may rotate corresponding to rotational motion of the railstopper.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when theelectronic device is in an unfolded position, the first surface of thefirst housing and the third surface of the second housing may bedisposed to face in the same direction, and when the electronic deviceis in a folded position, the second surface of the first housing and thefourth surface of the second housing may be disposed opposite eachother.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when theelectronic device is the folded position, the outer surface of the hingestructure may have a protruding structure on a side surface thereof. Theprotruding structure may include a flat surface disposed perpendicularto the second surface of the first housing or the fourth surface of thesecond housing to support a portion of the flexible display assembly anda curved surface extending from both sides of the flat surface to thefirst housing or the second housing.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronicdevice may further comprise a flexible printed circuit board disposed toextend from an inner side of the first housing through the hingestructure to an inner side of the second housing. Corresponding tofolding of the electronic device, the flexible printed circuit board mayform at least one curved portions.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the curved portionof the flexible printed circuit board may be disposed to pass through aninside of the hinge structure. The curved portion may include a firstportion coupled with a surface of the center bar, a second portioncoupled with the slide cover disposed on the first housing, and a thirdportion coupled with the slide cover disposed on the second housing.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the flexibledisplay assembly may include a flexible display module, an elasticmember disposed between the hinge structure and the display module tofill a gap formed by a curved shape of the hinge structure or thedisplay module, and a supporting member disposed between the displaymodule and the elastic member and supporting the elastic member.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the flexibledisplay assembly may further include an adhesive member disposed betweenthe display module and the supporting member or between the elasticmember and the hinge structure. The elastic member may provide anelastic force to allow the multi bars of the hinge structuretransforming as the electronic device unfolds or folds to form a virtualsurface with the same height.

As is apparent from the foregoing description, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device with aflexible display may freely vary between a small screen mode and a largescreen mode depending on the structure in which the flexible display isflattened or folded by the user's manipulation.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronicdevice with a flexible display has a hinge structure in an area wherethe flexible display folds to cancel off variations in length to theflexible display, delivering an even quality of screen to the user allthe time.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an inner space isprepared in an area where a flexible printed circuit board is foldedinside an electronic device with a flexible display, allowing theprinted circuit board to withstand stress or large external tensionsteadily applied thereto.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a flexible,elastic film is stacked on a flexible display of an electronic device,delivering an even quality of screen to the user all the time.

While the disclosure has been illustrated and described with referenceto various example embodiments thereof, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is: 1: A portable communication device comprising: aflexible display including a first display area and a second displayarea; a housing accommodating the flexible display, the housingincluding a first housing portion corresponding to the first displayarea, and a second housing portion corresponding to the second displayarea; a hinge structure configured to facilitate folding or unfolding ofthe flexible display with respect to a rotational axis such that thefirst display area faces a first direction and the second display areafaces a second direction substantially opposite to the first directionwhen the flexible display is folded with respect to the rotational axis,the hinge structure including a first hinge portion, a second hingeportion and a center portion, the first hinge portion coupled to thefirst housing portion and rotatable with the first housing according tothe folding of the flexible display, the second hinge portion coupled tothe second housing portion and rotatable with the second housingaccording to the folding of the flexible display, and the center portionlocated between and coupled to the first hinge portion and the secondhinge portion; and a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) extendingfrom a portion of the first housing across the hinge structure to aportion of the second housing, wherein the FPCB includes a first portionfixed to the first housing portion, a second portion fixed to the secondhousing portion, a third portion fixed to the center portion, a fourthportion positioned between the first portion and the third portion, anda fifth portion positioned between the second portion and the thirdportion, and wherein the fourth portion and the fifth portion aredeformable according to the folding of the flexible display. 2: Theportable communication device of claim 1, further comprising a firstcircuit board accommodated in the first housing portion and a secondcircuit board accommodated in the second housing portion, wherein theFPCB includes a first connector electrically connected with the firstcircuit board and a second connector electrically connected with thesecond circuit board. 3: The portable communication device of claim 2,wherein the first connector is disposed at a first end of the FPCB, andthe second connector is disposed at a second end of the FPCB. 4: Theportable communication device of claim 2, further comprising a batteryaccommodated in the first housing portion, wherein the battery has anon-overlapping relationship with the first circuit board in a viewdirection facing the flexible display. 5: The portable communicationdevice of claim 1, wherein the hinge structure includes a plurality ofrotation shafts, at least one of which forms the rotational axis. 6: Theportable communication device of claim 1, further comprising an elasticmember disposed between the hinge structure and at least part of an areaof the flexible display that curves when the flexible display is folded.7: The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the fourthportion is disposed in a first inner space formed over the first housingportion and the first hinge portion, and the fifth portion is disposedin a second inner space formed over the second housing portion and thesecond hinge portion; and wherein a volume of the first inner spaceformed when the flexible display is folded is smaller than a volume ofthe first inner space formed when the flexible display is unfolded, anda volume of the second inner space formed when the flexible display isfolded is smaller than a volume of the second inner space formed whenthe flexible display is unfolded. 8: The portable communication deviceof claim 1, wherein the flexible display further includes a thirddisplay area between the first display area and the second display areaand disposed in correspondence with the hinge structure. 9: The portablecommunication device of claim 8, wherein the third display area forms acurved surface when the flexible display is folded. 10: The portablecommunication device of claim 1, wherein the FPCB is extended throughbetween the first hinge portion and the center portion and between thesecond hinge portion and the center portion. 11: A portablecommunication device comprising: a flexible display including a firstdisplay area and a second display area; a housing accommodating theflexible display, the housing including a first housing portioncorresponding to the first display area, and a second housing portioncorresponding to the second display area; a hinge structure configuredto facilitate folding or unfolding of the flexible display such that thefirst display area faces a first direction and the second display areafaces a second direction substantially opposite to the first directionwhen the flexible display is folded, the hinge structure including afirst hinge portion, a second hinge portion and a center portion, thefirst hinge portion coupled to the first housing portion and rotatablewith the first housing according to the folding of the flexible display,the second hinge portion coupled to the second housing portion androtatable with the second housing according to the folding of theflexible display, and the center portion located between and coupled tothe first hinge portion and the second hinge portion; first circuitryaccommodated in the first housing portion; second circuitry accommodatedin the second housing portion; and a flexible printed circuit board(FPCB) electrically connected at respective first and second endsthereof to the first and second circuitry, and including an intermediateportion intermediate the first and second ends coupled to the centerportion of the hinge structure, wherein a portion of the FPCB betweenthe first end and the intermediate portion is bendable within an innerspace of the first housing portion when the flexible display is folded,and wherein a portion of the FPCB between the intermediate portion andthe second end is bendable within an inner space of the second housingportion when the flexible display is folded. 12: The portablecommunication device of claim 11, further comprising a first circuitboard comprising the first circuitry and a second circuit boardcomprising the second circuitry. 13: The portable communication deviceof claim 12, wherein the first circuit board comprises a main board andthe second circuit board comprises a sub-board. 14: The portablecommunication device of claim 11, wherein the FPCB includes a firstconnector configured for electrical connection with the first circuitryand a second connector configured for electrical connection with thesecond circuitry. 15: The portable communication device of claim 11,further comprising a battery accommodated in the first housing portion,wherein the battery has a non-overlapping relationship with the firstcircuit board in a view direction facing the flexible display. 16: Theportable communication device of claim 11, wherein the hinge structureincludes a plurality of rotation shafts. 17: The portable communicationdevice of claim 11, wherein a volume of the inner space of the firsthousing portion formed when the flexible display is folded is smallerthan a volume of the inner space of the first housing portion formedwhen the flexible display is unfolded, and a volume of the inner spaceof the second housing portion formed when the flexible display is foldedis smaller than a volume of the inner space of the second housingportion formed when the flexible display is unfolded. 18: The portablecommunication device of claim 11, wherein the flexible display furtherincludes a third display area between the first display area and thesecond display area and disposed in correspondence with the hingestructure. 19: The portable communication device of claim 18, whereinthe third display area forms a curved surface when the flexible displayis folded. 20: The portable communication device of claim 11, whereinthe FPCB is extended through between the first hinge portion and thecenter portion and between the second hinge portion and the centerportion.